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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678691">Toujours Pur</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shellypads/pseuds/shellypads'>shellypads</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alexandra Black Universe [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Black Family Drama (Harry Potter), Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Post-Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Post-Sirius Black in Azkaban, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), References to Depression, Second War with Voldemort, Slow Burn, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:48:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>47,464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shellypads/pseuds/shellypads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On the faithful night of 1981, tragedy struck another young child.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Regulus Black &amp; Sirius Black, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alexandra Black Universe [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180850</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. To Hogwarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The Halloween of 1981 was infamous for the disappearance of the Dark Lord, but what was lesser known was the families that got destroyed with him.</p><p>Whether it be looking after a cursed one-year-old or an overly curious girl who questioned her father's whereabouts, the end of the First Wizarding War had brought quite a tale with it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra pushed her trolley forward as her eyes widened once she saw the Hogwarts Express. It was prettier than what she had imagined from the books she'd read about it. Only when her grandmother cleared her throat that she came out of her thoughts. She directed her attention back to the woman standing next to her.</p>
<p>     "You better settle in before the train departs. It's almost 11. We wouldn't want you to miss the train on your first day now, would we?" said Walburga Black, and for once, her voice showing hints of warmth.</p>
<p>     "Of course, Grandmother."</p>
<p>     "Kreacher, take her belongings to the train," Walburga instructed. The house-elf following them bowed before disappearing with Alexandra's belongings, leaving only the furry white cat with them.</p>
<p>     A wave of happiness surged Alexandra's body as she glanced around the platform, trying her best to take everything in as if it was her only chance to be there. Her feet had barely touched the ground ever since she got her Hogwarts letter.</p>
<p>     Alexandra couldn't contain her excitement and did something surprising, rushed to bring Walburga into a tight hug. She pulled back just as fast, preparing herself for Walburga's backlash.</p>
<p>     It stunned Walburga. Alexandra had stopped hugging her ever since she was a little girl. Walburga always assumed that her cold exterior had scared off the girl from doing so.</p>
<p>     It took her a few seconds, but Walburga wrapped her arms around Alexandra's tiny figure. Alexandra was flabbergasted, seeing as the Black matriarch rarely,<em> if ever,</em> showcased her emotions.</p>
<p>     "I'll miss you, Grandmother. A lot."</p>
<p>     Walburga sighed as she pulled back. "I'll miss you too, Alexandra," she said while fixing her granddaughter's clothes. "Now, make me —<em> our family</em>, proud in Hogwarts.</p>
<p>     "And don't forget to send me a letter or two with the owls I send." she ushered as the young girl picked up her cat's basket from the floor.</p>
<p>     Alexandra nodded breathlessly. Then, she headed towards the Hogwarts Express, hoping to find her childhood friend Adrian Pucey. They'd been fast friends ever since they met in the brunch Walburga hosted when she was five.</p>
<p>     Alexandra roamed inside the train to find him, but it was no use. He had probably seated himself in a compartment that was already full.</p>
<p>     Alexandra groaned bitterly and began to search for an empty compartment where she could spend her journey. She came across one that was relatively empty, with only two gingers present. She slid the door open and smiled eagerly at the boys.</p>
<p>     "Hi — er — mind if I joined you two? The rest of the compartments seems rather crowded."</p>
<p>     The twins shared a quick look before diverting their attention at the raven-haired girl. "Not at all!" said the one on the left with a welcoming smile. Alexandra got inside and slid the door close.</p>
<p>     "First-Year?" inquired the boy on the right.</p>
<p>     "Yeah! You too?" she replied as she took the seat across from them.</p>
<p>     "Yeah!'' the boys chorused.</p>
<p>     "I'm Fred Weasley," said the boy on the left. He raised his hand for Alexandra to shake it.</p>
<p>     "And I'm George Weasley, his twin if you haven't guessed," said the boy on the right.</p>
<p>     "I'm Black, Alexandra Black," she said, grinning, as she placed her cat's basket to the empty seat beside her.</p>
<p>     The twins' eyes widened when they heard her surname. They had heard of it multiple times, whether to refer the infamous murderer, Sirius Black, or the nasty lot itself.</p>
<p>     Alexandra caught their frowns, and her face dropped into a similar frown. People she met had always been respectful to her name. Not once they'd feared it, let alone to be ashamed.</p>
<p>     She peered out from the small window, trying to get rid of the lump forming in her throat. How could someone as proud as Alexandra Black be so nervous? She was always so daring, so self-assured, that it seemed unnatural for her to be ever awkward. Yet there she was, hesitating in front of two ginger boys.</p>
<p>     "You can call me Aly for short. Grandmother thinks it's only appropriate for one to use their full name but I, uh, find Alexandra <em>a little too formal</em>, I suppose. But don't tell her that — she wouldn't stop scolding me if she knew," she said all at once.</p>
<p>     Walburga always told her to maintain her distance from others. Blacks <em>had</em> to keep a constant cold exterior. But asking a bunch of boys, who she just met, was the complete opposite, no?</p>
<p>     George flashed a grin at Alexandra. The elephant in the room was evident, and it visibly made the young Black nervous.</p>
<p>     "You reckon we could work with this one, Freddie?" asked George, spiking Alexandra's interest.</p>
<p>     "S'pose we could, Georgie," replied Fred, a grin appearing on his face much similar to his brother's.</p>
<p>     The Weasley twins had gathered that the girl in front of them didn't seem as corrupted as people made her lot to be.</p>
<p>     "Now that that's settled," George extended his hand for Alexandra to shake. "Very nice to meet you."</p>
<p>     Alexandra shook his hand, the frown on her face slowly diminishing. "Likewise."</p>
<p>     Fred watched the white cat curl asleep beside its owner.</p>
<p>     "What's his name?" asked Fred.</p>
<p>     Alexandra gave him a questioning look until she realised he was talking about her cat. "Her name is Vela."</p>
<p>     "Unusual name, that one got," said Fred, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.</p>
<p>     Alexandra chuckled. "I guess so. Vela is the name of the constellations of the Argo Navis. It was the ship in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to get the Golden Fleece, as the myth suggests."</p>
<p>     The boys nodded. They were fascinated by the origin of the cat's name held.</p>
<p>     "It's also a family tradition to name after stars, you see," added Alexandra.</p>
<p>     "Blimey, that's some deep thinking there, for a cat name, I mean. Any other interesting family traditions we should know of?" asked George.</p>
<p>     The wall on 12 Grimmauld Place, which had the house-elf heads on display, flashed in Alexandra's mind. It had been an established tradition to hang the former house-elves' heads on the wall as a symbol of absolute loyalty.</p>
<p>     Alexandra couldn't help but shiver. Even the thought of it was disturbing enough to sicken her.</p>
<p>     "Nope, none that I can think of." she hastily lied.</p>
<p>     "You like pranks?" asked Fred out of the blue, eyes twinkling playfully.</p>
<p>     "Well, yeah!" Alexandra grinned, which quickly morphed into a sigh. "Grandmother doesn't favour them —"</p>
<p>     "Mum isn't too fond of our pranks either, but that hasn't stopped us," responded George.</p>
<p>     "Not at all." supported Fred.</p>
<p>     "Really?" asked Alexandra eagerly. "What kind of pranks have you two pulled?"</p>
<p>     Fred and George exchanged a joyous glance, thrilled that someone indeed was interested in their pranks.</p>
<p>     "Once, we turned our baby brother's teddy into a spider," began Fred.</p>
<p>     "Couldn't sleep alone for six months." George grinned.</p>
<p>     "Still bawls like a baby when he sees one. A few months ago, George and I left a pleasant little surprise on his bed —"</p>
<p>     " — you should've seen his face when he saw our furry little friend waiting for him!" The twins recalled the horrified face of their younger brother.</p>
<p>     The trio laughed as Alexandra said, "Now that's just vile. That poor kid."</p>
<p>     Suddenly the compartment's door slid open, revealing a boy with dark skin looking inside expectantly.</p>
<p>     "Hello there, apparently there's no available spot left at the back of the train, and I'm a bit lazy to walk all the way to the front. Would you mind if I joined you three?"</p>
<p>     Alexandra looked at the twins, waiting for their response, as she decided to follow her newly made friends' decision.</p>
<p>     "Sure thing, hop in!" replied Fred.</p>
<p>     "I'm Lee, by the way. Lee Jordan," said Lee as he slid the door close.</p>
<p>     "I'm Fred, this is my brother George, and that's Alexandra," said Fred, gesturing to his brother and their new friend.</p>
<p>     Fred then pointed to the sleeping figure of the cat. "And that's Vela, Alexandra's cat."</p>
<p>     Alexandra asked whether the boys would be uncomfortable with having Vela out. Fortunately, they were all right with having the furry cat around.</p>
<p>     Alexandra took Vela out of her basket and carefully lifted her cat back to her lap, slowly stroking her white fur to open a place where Lee Jordan could sit.</p>
<p>     They filled the rest of the ride with laughter and various stories regarding their mischiefs in their younger ages.</p>
<p>     The twins had already planned their first prank in Hogwarts with Lee and Alexandra. She had agreed to help them as long as her name remained clear.</p>
<p>     Once the Trolley Lady arrived, offering candies, the boys were more than ecstatic to eat them all. Alexandra, however, was reluctant. She knew Walburga wouldn't be pleased with her eating too many sweets if she was present.</p>
<p>     "She's not here, is she?" Fred asked. She shook her head.</p>
<p>     "Then there's nothing to worry about," he assured, handing her a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.</p>
<p>     Alexandra took a brown bean out of the box. She scrunched her nose once she tasted the bean.</p>
<p>     "THIS TASTES LIKE MUD!" she exclaimed, making the boys chuckle as Vela leapt out of her lap to George's.</p>
<p>     Lee reached up the bag and grabbed a blue-coloured bean. Hesitantly, he brought it up to his mouth. "This one tastes like... blueberries," he said with a content smile.</p>
<p>     "Lucky git..." muttered Alexandra, making the boys roar with laughter.</p>
<p>     George took a red bean out, handing it to her. "Try this one."</p>
<p>     She looked warily between George and his stretched hand. Giving up, she picked up the bean and carefully chewed it, afraid of the flavour that awaited her.</p>
<p>     "Cherry," she declared. "This one tastes like cherry." both George and Alexandra snickered.</p>
<p>     They continued to laugh and mess with one another until the train came to a halt. Seeing as the Hogwarts Express arrived at the Hogsmeade Station, they quickly gathered up their belongings and hopped off the train.</p>
<p>     Outside, the half-giant Hagrid greeted them, who accompanied the first-years on their journey to Hogwarts.</p>
<p>     Hagrid smiled warmly at the children. Little did he know that those seemingly innocent kids would soon become a bunch of troublemakers whom he'd have to chase out of the Forbidden Forest.</p>
<p>     When he noticed that one of the first-year students held her cat's basket firmly to her chest, he told her she had to leave her cat to where Mr Flich was.</p>
<p>     Hesitantly, Alexandra agreed and marched over to the caretaker. She made her way back to where Hagrid was and followed the rest of the first-years towards the Black Lake.</p>
<p>     "No more'n four to a boat!" called Hagrid, pointing to a fleet of tiny boats sitting in the water by the shore.</p>
<p>     Alexandra had busied herself admiring the landmark until George dragged her to a boat with Fred and Lee. They got in carefully — even though none of them would admit it, they all feared falling into the lake. That was why the twins hadn't attempted to pull a prank on the boat.</p>
<p>     The boats moved all at once, gliding through the seemingly endless lake. The kids were speechless as they watched the grand castle appear. Soon enough, they reached underneath the Hogwarts castle. Students climbed out of the boats, following Hagrid towards an oak door.</p>
<p>     The door swung open, revealing a tall, stern-looking witch. They followed her into a chamber where she told them about the Hogwarts Houses.</p>
<p>     "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily. I advise all of you to proper yourselves as much as you can. I will return once we're ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "And please, wait for me <em>quietly</em>."</p>
<p>     Lee turned to his new friends, completely ignoring what the Professor had just said. "Which House d'you reckon to get sorted into?"</p>
<p>     "Gryffindor, obviously —" began Fred.</p>
<p>     "— like the rest of our family," said George, excitedly.</p>
<p>     "Wicked! I hope so, too," said Lee. He turned his attention to the dark-haired girl standing beside them.</p>
<p>     "What about you, Alexandra?" inquired Lee.</p>
<p>     "Slytherin!" answered Alexandra. "My family has been in Slytherin for <em>generations</em>. I'd get sorted there, too, I expect."</p>
<p>     "You don't seem like a snake, though," Fred objected. "You're fun! It'd be a shame if you got placed there if you ask me."</p>
<p>     Alexandra was about to protest before Professor McGonagall reentered the chamber. All the attention got drawn back to the stern witch as she gestured them to follow her. They entered the Great Hall, all eyes on them as they gaped over the grand hall.</p>
<p>     Alexandra was mesmerised, yes, but not as much as the Muggle-borns. For the kids who grew up with magic, witnessing the enchanted ceiling didn't come off as a big surprise.</p>
<p>     The first-years crowded around an old Hat. Alexandra noticed that everyone in the hall was now staring at it, and she, too, couldn't help but stare at the Sorting Hat.</p>
<p>     There was an eerie silence before the Sorting Hat twitched. A mouth like a brim opened, and then it began to sing.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,<br/>
But don't judge on what you see,<br/>
I'll eat myself if you can find<br/>
A smarter hat than me.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>You can keep your bowlers black,<br/>
Your top hats sleek and tall.<br/>
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,<br/>
And I can cap them all.<br/>
</em><br/>
<em>There's nothing hidden in your head<br/>
The Sorting Hat can't see.<br/>
So try me on and I will tell you,<br/>
Where you ought to be.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>You might belong in Gryffindor,<br/>
Where dwell the brave at heart,<br/>
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry<br/>
Set Gryffindors apart;<br/>
</em><br/>
<em>You might belong in Hufflepuff,<br/>
Where they are just and loyal,<br/>
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,<br/>
And unafraid of toil;</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,<br/>
if you have a ready mind,<br/>
Where those of wit and learning,<br/>
Will always find their kind;</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>Or perhaps in Slytherin,<br/>
You'll make your real friends.<br/>
Those cunning folks use any means<br/>
To achieve their ends.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>So put me on! Don't be afraid!<br/>
And don't get in a flap!<br/>
You're in safe hands (though I have none).<br/>
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"</em>
</p>
<p>     The entire hall applauded as the Sorting Hat finished its song. It bowed to each respectable Houses' tables before McGonagall explained the sorting procedure and began to call names.</p>
<p>     "Avery, Cassius!"</p>
<p>     A lanky boy with a broad smirk stepped to the front. It amazed Alexandra that he didn't waver under the pressure of being the first to be called. But then again, the Pureblood children were taught to remain calm and collected from a very young age.</p>
<p>     The Sorting Hat fell over Cassius' eyes, and without further due, it yelled,</p>
<p>     "SLYTHERIN!"</p>
<p>     A few more students got called before it was Alexandra's turn.</p>
<p>     "Black, Alexandra!" the witch called.</p>
<p>     Alexandra felt the growing tension in the hall, as the Black name got defamed way too many times in the past decade.</p>
<p>     She took a deep breath to ease her nerves, then made her way to the stool. The last thing she saw before pulling the Sorting Hat over her head was the encouraging smile of her friends.</p>
<p><em>     "You're quite eager to get placed into Slytherin, I see,"</em> A soft voice spoke inside her head. <em>"Eager to make your family proud by following traditions. You'd certainly make a fine Slytherin."</em></p>
<p>     A short pause followed the Sorting Hat's words, which was quite alarming for the girl. The last thing she needed was to be known as a <em>hat stall</em>.</p>
<p><em>     "But you're too reckless for that, aren't you? Difficult. Difficult indeed." </em>hummed the Sorting Hat. "<em>Your courage and rash nature suppresses your hunger for power, yes. Then, better be..."</em></p>
<p>     "GRYFFINDOR!"</p>
<p>     After a brief, stunned silence, loud cheering erupted from the Gryffindor table. But Alexandra could hardly register them.</p>
<p>     Professor McGonagall gave the terrified girl a small smile as she lifted off the Sorting Hat from her head. The scene in front of her felt painfully nostalgic.</p>
<p>     Alexandra's legs felt heavier than ever as she walked over to the Gryffindor table. A horrid feeling settled in her stomach as her brain slowly registered what had happened.</p>
<p>
  <em>     She got sorted into Gryffindor.</em>
</p>
<p>     Alexandra hesitantly sat down at the red and gold table, quietly watching the sorting continue.</p>
<p>     Soon, a boy Alexandra didn't know also got placed in Gryffindor. He sat down beside a very miserable looking Alexandra.</p>
<p>     "Hi, I'm Liam Bryne!" said the grinning boy, extending his hand for Alexandra to shake it.</p>
<p>     "Pleasure to meet you," muttered Alexandra, tiredly shaking his hand. "I'm Alexandra Black."</p>
<p>     When it was time for the 'J's, Alexandra slightly lifted her head to watch Lee Jordan. He got sorted in Gryffindor alongside a girl named Angelina Johnson.</p>
<p>     By the time it rolled to the 'V's, Alexandra had already imagined various scenarios of the backlash awaiting her once she headed back home.</p>
<p>     "Valley, Maya!"</p>
<p>     A girl with freckles and braids anxiously stepped to the front. She sat down on the stool, put on the hat which fell over her eyes, and after a moment's pause, the Sorting Hat shouted —</p>
<p>     "GRYFFINDOR!"</p>
<p>     Yet another loud cheering erupted from the red and gold table.</p>
<p>     "Weasley, Fred!"</p>
<p>     "GRYFFINDOR!"</p>
<p>     Fred grinned brightly and stepped to the Gryffindor table, taking the seat across Alexandra.</p>
<p>     "Weasley, George!"</p>
<p>     George, too, got sorted in Gryffindor and marched to sit beside his brother.</p>
<p>     "Knew you were too good to be a snake!" said Fred, smirking, once they were all seated at the Gryffindor table.</p>
<p>     The smirk on their faces faltered as they saw Alexandra looking down at her plate, sulking.</p>
<p>     "This is not good, <em>at all</em>," she declared with a small voice, hands clenched into fists beneath the table.</p>
<p>     Alexandra could picture how disappointed Walburga would be once she heard the news. A member of the House of Black in Gryffindor? How humiliating was that for a family famous with Slytherins!</p>
<p>     "Er — I didn't mean to upset you," said Fred, apologetically.</p>
<p>     "It's not me, my Grandmother," said Alexandra. "She will be utterly disappointed in me."</p>
<p>     "I'm sure she'll be understanding to the situation," said George, remembering how the girl had told them that her whole lot were Slytherins. "There must be a bright side to all of this."</p>
<p>     Alexandra sighed. She desperately wished that George'd be right.</p>
<p>     "Generations of Slytherins, George. I just broke a generations-worth chain. It's not looking very promising."</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Soon the sorting ceremony was over, and everybody got placed into their respective Houses. Headmaster Dumbledore made a brief speech before telling them to dig into their food.</p>
<p>     With a weary sigh, Alexandra raised her head to glance at the food on the table. The variety of foods could rival the ones served on the fancy Pureblood gatherings. They looked quite tempting, and Alexandra decided to put her troubles aside for the sake of it.</p>
<p>     "Perhaps you're right," said Alexandra after swallowing her food. "There is a bright side to this — now I get to spend more time with you lads."</p>
<p>     Fred placed his hand on his heart. "I'm flattered, really—"</p>
<p>     "— and I can meet Mudbloods now! Oh, Grandmother told me <em>so </em>much about them. I've heard that there are quite a lot of them here too." she cut him short.</p>
<p>     George choked on his drink. "Muggle-borns," he corrected her calmly, looking around to make sure nobody heard her. "They're called Muggle-borns, not... <em>that</em>."</p>
<p>     "Oh," was all Alexandra could utter, face flushed. "I didn't know."</p>
<p>     "Figured that one out," said Fred. "But just be careful with what you call people —"</p>
<p>     "— so you don't offend them."</p>
<p>     "But don't fret, 'cause luckily for you—"</p>
<p>     "— you've got us to teach you everything."</p>
<p>     She smiled warmly at the twins. Perhaps Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad after all.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This story is also available on Wattpad (which has a few more chapters that dive deeper into the summary). Also, English is not my native language, therefore, I might have made some errors in the story, and I apologise in advance.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Annoying Filch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Annoying Filch has been a tradition ever since the age of eleven.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra was quite nervous for the remainder of the week, barely speaking to her housemates. Her fears had gotten the best of her as she wondered how Walburga would react.</p><p>     Perhaps George would be right, and Walburga wouldn't overreact. Maybe Walburga would show her support even if her granddaughter was in another House.</p><p>     Unfortunately, George Weasley was wrong. Walburga Black was not the 'understanding' type. Therefore, she wasn't cool with it <em>at all</em>.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>"ALEXANDRA EUPHEMIA BLACK,"</em> </strong>
</p><p>     Alexandra received her infamous Howler the very next week. Public humiliation was worse than what she had pictured for their confrontation to be.</p><p>
  <strong><em>"I AM HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH DESCRIBING MY FRUSTRATION, YOUNG LADY! HOW DARE </em>YOU <em>TAINT OUR FAMILY'S NAME LIKE THAT? GRYFFINDOR? UTTERLY OUTRAGEOUS, THAT IS! YOU BETTER NOT FURTHER EMBARRASS THE BLACK NAME!"</em></strong>
</p><p>     The red envelope screamed before bursting into flames, leaving only its ashes behind.</p><p>     The students in the hall watched Alexandra quite shamelessly. It had always been tempting for students to gawk at their peers who received Howlers.</p><p>     Alexandra sank into her seat, excessively staring at her plate to distract herself from the tears merging behind her eyes. She fought them back, promising herself to not cry in front of others.</p><p>     The young Black had angered Walburga before, but it was the first time Alexandra had got her rilled up <em>that much</em>.</p><p>     Walburga's words were harsh — cutting through the young girl's skin. The more Alexandra thought of her words, the harder it became to control the tears fighting to break free.</p><p>     Walburga was the one to raise Alexandra, the one who had always been <em>there</em>. Alexandra felt guilty for failing the woman who raised her.</p><p>     George placed his hand on her shoulder, frowning, as he asked, "You all right?"</p><p>     Alexandra turned to George, who was studying her with concern. "Yeah," she breathed, mustering a half-smile.</p><p>     Students shifted their attention elsewhere as the young Black caught their prying eyes. Some watched her with pity while some snickered, amused that a little girl had managed to receive a Howler.</p><p>     Frustrated by the unnecessary attention she received, Alexandra stood up.</p><p>     "I forgot my quill in the dormitory. Better fetch it before Transfiguration."</p><p>     With that, she fled the Great Hall. The twins rose from their seats to follow her, knowing well that her quill was just a petty excuse until a firm hand sat them down.</p><p>     "Not now," said Charlie Weasley, "Give her some space. She seemed troubled after the Howler. She looked... frustrated. So, my advice would be to talk <em>once </em>she cools down."</p><p>     Unknown to them, two boys had stood up from their seats to catch up to the young Black. The former to mock her and the latter to stop him from doing so.</p><p>     "Oi, Black!" called Cassius Avery, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "Didn't know your name was <em>Euphemia</em>."</p><p>     Alexandra came to an abrupt stop on her way to the Gryffindor Tower. His voice made her realise the hot tears streaming down her cheeks, and she wiped them off with the palm of her hand.</p><p>     "Shut it, Cassius," hissed Adrian at the lanky boy beside him.</p><p>     "What? Just asking," said Cassius.</p><p>     "Yes," replied Alexandra with a hoarse voice. "Euphemia is my middle name."</p><p>     "Brilliant! That means I'll be calling you Euphemia from now on."</p><p>     Alexandra spun on her heels to glare at the boy. "No, you won't."</p><p>     "Oh, right," said Cassius, jokingly, "You don't fancy using your full name. Better come up with a nickname for that."</p><p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes at his remark.</p><p>     "Have you been <em>crying</em>?" asked Adrian, studying her puffy eyes and wet cheeks.</p><p>     "Uh... no?" Alexandra tried to lie but knew that it was fruitless due to her puffy eyes.</p><p>     With a sigh, Adrian brought her into a hug. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Mrs Black will be fine with you being a Gryffindor after a while."</p><p>     Cassius ignored the two friends, and instead, he seemed like he was doing some quick thinking. "Euphy? No, no<em>, </em>not catchy enough..."</p><p>     "I truly hope for you to be right," drawled Alexandra, not listening to what Cassius was muttering.</p><p>     "Found it!" declared Cassius Avery, his smirk broadening. "From now on, you're Mia Black!"</p><p>     "Shut up, Cassius!" roared Alexandra and Adrian.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Days went by, and Alexandra didn't seem to get any better. She'd walk to her classes, head down, impatience gracing her sorrowful face. She craved nothing more than the term to end, yet couldn't bring herself to face Walburga once it did.</p><p>     The twins seemed to be growing restless, too, while waiting for her to speak to them again. They didn't understand why she was suddenly ignoring their presence and hanging out with Slytherins.</p><p>     Fred groaned before slamming his hands to the table to catch his brother's attention. "You know what, George? I'm tired of waiting!"</p><p>     "I told you, Fred, we don't know the incantation to enlarge a balloon yet! There's no way we can prank —"</p><p>     "Not that! I mean, we should talk to Alexandra now! I don't think she'll ever talk to us again unless we do so!"</p><p>     George lifted his head from the advanced Charms book he was studying to look at his brother's pleading eyes. Fred was right. For unknown reasons, Alexandra was trying her best to ignore the Gryffindors, including them.</p><p>     George sighed, nodding before closing the book. He knew that she'd not talk unless someone confronted her, but he didn't know how to approach the girl. He placed the book back on its shelf before exiting the library.</p><p>     Fred let out a cheerful sigh once they exited the library. "Finally! If we stayed in there for another minute, I might have puked." George snickered as they made their way up to the Gryffindor Tower.</p><p>     "Password?" asked the Fat Lady.</p><p>     "<em>Bowtruckle</em>," replied George.</p><p>     The painting swung open, revealing the cosy common room. The twins' eyes wandered around, searching for a specific raven-haired girl. Fred smirked once he spotted her sitting near the fireplace with a book in her hand.</p><p>     He made his way towards the fireplace and sat across her. His smirk widened when she lowered the book she was reading.</p><p>     "Why are you wasting this fine day with a book?"</p><p>     "Weren't you and George in the library, looking for a book?"</p><p>     "For a Charms book, that upholds <em>great</em> importance for our master plan, mind you. But that's not the point," said Fred</p><p>     "<em>Master plan?</em>" she asked, amused. "And what may that be?"</p><p>     "Pranking Filch, of course," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p>     "But that's not why we're here now. We wanted to ta— "</p><p>     "—ask whether you'd fancy joining pranking Filch, let's just say, in an old-fashioned way." Fred cut his brother. George shot him a pointed look, questioning what he was doing.</p><p>     Alexandra stared blankly at the boys. Fred sighed before revealing the Dungbombs under his robes.</p><p>     "You carry <em>Dungbombs </em>under your robes?!" she whisper-yelled, her grey eyes widening.</p><p>     "You don't?" Fred questioned.</p><p>     "Certainly not!" she fussed, "Do you know how risky that is? What would happen if you ever get caught?"</p><p>     "Detention," replied Fred with a bored tone.</p><p>     "Precisely!"</p><p>     "But wouldn't Filch's expression be worth it?" asked Fred, a playful glint in his eyes.</p><p>     Alexandra thought about it for a second, imagining how hilarious Filch's outraged face would be and that it would be worth the trouble. </p><p>     "S'pose, you're right," she finally said.</p><p>     "So you'll help us prank Filch?" asked George.</p><p>     "Yeah," she said, placing her book down. "How can I say no to bothering Filch?"</p><p>     They tiptoed down to the Charms corridor, where they'd last spotted Filch grumbling around.</p><p>     Fred took out a Dungbomb under his robe. "Would you like to have the honour?" he asked as he held it up with pride.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded, an impish look on her face. She took the Dungbomb out of Fred's grasp and let it off in the middle of the corridor. A putrid smell filled the hallway, and the trio held their noses as they sprinted away.</p><p>     Stopping once they reached a corridor close to ground-level, the trio started to laugh. The stinking scent had decreased drastically from where the trio was standing.</p><p>     Their chuckles turned into wholehearted laughter as they heard Filch's frantic cries to find them.</p><p>     "WEASLEYS!" roared Filch, fuming with anger. It had been a month since the twins set their feet into Hogwarts, yet they were already giving Filch too much trouble. Soon, Filch caught the trio as they were in fits of laughter.</p><p>     "WEASLEYS," he thundered before glancing at the young girl next to them.</p><p>     "— and Black?" he seemed surprised. Then he remembered Sirius Black, the notorious prankster.</p><p>     He tsked. Alexandra was just like her father. </p><p>     "You think this is funny? Setting off Dungbombs in the middle of a corridor?"</p><p>     "Sir, we do not know what you're talking about," said George politely.</p><p>     "He's right sir, how could a bunch of innocent first-years do something so preposterous?" asked Fred, sounding bewildered.</p><p>     The trio was giving him innocent looks as the caretaker's face reddened with anger. It had only been a month, yet the twins had caused way too many problems — not to mention that they somehow dragged another student into their vicious pranks.</p><p>     Filch hauled them to his office, rambling a bunch of detention ideas on their way.</p><p>     The twins and Alexandra were using all of their willpower not to snicker. The last thing they needed was an overly fuming Filch.</p><p>     After a short walk, they reached a foul-looking wooden door. Perhaps it was the distaste towards the man that made his office so unbearable.</p><p>     His office was a small plain room. A single oil lamp hung from the ceiling. A powerful scent of fried fish filled the room, making the room in desperate need to get ventilated. There were chains and menaces, patiently waiting to be used to hang misbehaving kids by their ankles, yet Dumbledore knew better than to use such medieval methods.</p><p>     There were a bunch of filing cabinets containing details of the misdeeds of the students. One of those cabinets was full of confiscated magical items, marked as '<em>Confiscated and Highly Dangerous</em>'. The twins couldn't tear their eyes off of the cabinet, wondering the deep secrets within it.</p><p>     Filch threatened the kids about their punishment for causing disorder. Fred and George, who were the definition of trouble, were unfazed by his cheap words. Alexandra's face, however, was pale. She had never got herself into serious trouble before, not really. She had focused on being the perfect child. Even when she pranked people, she knew better than to get caught.</p><p>     So there she stood beside the bored boys, back straight, and chin up. Filch continued to blabber a bunch of stuff as 'detention' and 'disembowelment' while the twins scoffed at his irrationality, not tearing their eyes off the cabinet that held confiscated items. They flashed a quick look at one another, and it settled.</p><p>     They were getting out of there and perhaps taking a quick look at the cabinet while on it.</p><p>     George nudged the pale-looking girl beside him, gesturing her to beware.</p><p>     George grabbed a Dungbomb under his robe once Filch turned his back to the trio. He had underestimated them, and the consequence was going to hunt him for the next seven years of their schooling.</p><p>     Fred eyed the cabinet dangerously — like a predator watching its prey. He nodded, signalling his brother that it was now the time to let the Dungbomb off. George let it off without wasting time and grabbed Alexandra's wrist sharply as they quickly exited the office.</p><p>     Fred joined them moments later. They ran off to the Gryffindor Tower as fast as their feet carried them.</p><p>     Alexandra practically screamed the password to the Fat Lady, eyeing the stairs to check whether Filch had caught up to them.</p><p>     They sighed in relief once they threw themselves onto the sofas in the common room. The trio erupted in laughter, thinking about just how much trouble they will be in by morning.</p><p>     "Oi Freddie, what did you get from the cabinet?" asked George.</p><p>     Fred's eyes shined before revealing a worn-out, dull-looking parchment out of his pocket.</p><p>     "Ta-da!" said Fred eagerly.</p><p>     George and Alexandra glanced at each other before turning back to Fred.</p><p>     "You're serious, aren't you?" asked Alexandra, aggravated, "We've got into trouble, just for a — <em>a piece of worn-out parchment</em>?"</p><p>     "Erm — you're thinking too subtle. Why would Filch keep a random parchment in his '<em>Confiscated and Highly Dangerous</em>' cabinet if it wasn't something <em>highly </em>brilliant?" Fred studied the parchment suspiciously.</p><p>     "He has a point. Perhaps it shows answers to the upcoming exams —" said George, snatching the parchment from his brother.</p><p>     "— homework answers —"</p><p>     "— map to ancient treasures —"</p><p>     "— or, we'll simply have a <em>highly </em>good amount of parchment stock until Christmas." Alexandra scoffed.</p><p>     George took out his wand and poked the parchment accusingly, "Why would Filch keep a plain parchment in that cabinet? It's not like you can blow something with a sheet of paper."</p><p>     The parchment glowed. Thin, ink-like lines appeared, fanning into every corner of the map before disappearing and revealing cursive letters that formed four different names:</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave kudos and comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Is the parchment really worthless? If not, what is it that Fred discovered?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is inspired by 'Harry Seeker' on HarryPotterFanfiction.com! I'd recommend you to check out their work!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The boys gaped in awe. Alexandra rushed to their side, showing off the twins to open a place for her to sit.</p>
<p>     "What does '<em>Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs</em>' even mean?" asked Alexandra, leaning over Fred to have a better look at the parchment resting on George's lap.</p>
<p>     George shrugged. Of all the things, he hadn't expected to obtain an enchanted parchment. He tapped over it repeatedly, hoping to get another reaction.</p>
<p>     Alexandra watched as George grew irritated with each unsuccessful attempts to activate the parchment. He tapped over the parchment until his taps turned into angry pokes.</p>
<p>     Alexandra tried to come up with reasons why the parchment was acting up. Suddenly, it hit her. "Maybe the text got concealed by magic?"</p>
<p>     Fred's attention snapped towards Alexandra and nodded. "Perhaps."</p>
<p>     "What did Bill use to say to reveal invisible ink," George thought aloud before tapping on it once more.</p>
<p>     "<em>Aparecium!</em>"</p>
<p>     Nothing happened on the parchment.</p>
<p>     Fred let out a bitter groan. "This is <em>a waste of time</em>! All I wanted was to get something useful from Filch!"</p>
<p>     Fred dropped his head into his hands, then raised it right back as black lines formed on the parchment again.</p>
<p>     George and Alexandra also looked up as more rows of lines formed, soon morphing into sentences. </p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot would like to indicate that this is a treasure and not a waste of time.</em>
</p>
<p>     "What on Earth does <em>'Padfoot'</em> mean?" muttered Fred, but George shushed him and read the rest of the lines loud enough for them to hear.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony politely requests absolute respect for his grand creation.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Wormtail and Mr Prongs would kindly advise them to mind their own business.</em>
</p>
<p>     Alexandra stared at the newly-formed lines on the parchment. She reread it, trying to make sense out of it, but it didn't. It appeared that the seemingly useless parchment housed a great enigma.</p>
<p>     "Who is <em>'Mr Moony'</em> and <em>'Mr Wormtail'</em>?" </p>
<p>     Fred, George and Alexandra looked at each other, thoroughly confused. Even though they grew up with magic, this peculiar parchment made no sense for either of them.</p>
<p>     "It got activated when you tapped over it, yeah? And the lines appeared where your wand touched," Alexandra pointed where George's wand was. "It all must connect, in a way."</p>
<p>     "But why didn't the revealing charm work?" asked George.</p>
<p>     "Er — I don't know. Maybe you said the incantation wrong?" suggested Alexandra.</p>
<p>     "Maybe," began Fred, "Maybe we said the wrong thing. Perhaps that's why the revealing charm didn't work — because it does not affect it!"</p>
<p>     "How's that even possible —"</p>
<p>     "There's only one way to find out —" Fred interrupted Alexandra, "We should ask those lads."</p>
<p>     George nodded, tapping on the parchment before asking, "Does revealing charm have any effect on this parchment?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot is pleased to inform you that no revealing charm will work on it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs bits the finders a good day and advises them to leave them alone.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony and Mr Wormtail agree with Mr Prongs and also wish them a good day.</em>
</p>
<p>     "What do we do now? What if they never talk to us anymore?" asked Fred frantically.</p>
<p>     "Hold your Hippogriffs, Fred," said Alexandra. A smirk emerged on her lips. "I have an idea."</p>
<p>     She took out her wand and placed its tip in the middle of the parchment. "I, Alexandra Black, command you to reveal your secrets to us!" </p>
<p>     After all, the Black name had significant importance in the Wizarding World. Whomever those people were, they were to obey her name, or as she thought.</p>
<p>     "No, no," Fred interrupted. "We need to have a formal approach to this, so they don't fully disregard us!"</p>
<p>     He, too, took out his wand and placed it where Alexandra's were moments ago.</p>
<p>     "I, Fred Weasley, and my brother George Weasley, pupils in Hogwarts, would kindly request you to dismiss our friend's behaviour and ask you who you are?"</p>
<p>     George and Alexandra snickered at Fred's miserable formal attitude. Fred glared at them and told them to remain quiet, gesturing to the new words appearing on the parchment.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot requests Ms Black to keep her snobbish nose out of other people's business and urges her to stop being a know-it-all.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony wonders what was not clear to Ms Black and Mr Weasleys, seeing as we've already introduced ourselves.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony and Mr Padfoot's statements and wonders what it is that's so hard for a bunch of freckled gingers and a snooty, bigheaded Black to grasp.</em>
</p>
<p>     Alexandra gasped. "I'm not snobbish or bigheaded! And certainly not snooty!"</p>
<p>     Fred's jaw clenched as his ears got hot. Glaring at the parchment, "Bunch of freckled gingers, eh?" he shouted. "And what about our freckles? They are gorgeous!"</p>
<p>     The Gryffindors who hadn't left the common room turned to the trio, giving them weirded-out looks. George waved his hand to gesture that all is fine.</p>
<p>     "Hey, calm down, you two! You're getting provoked by a parchment," scolded George. "And you're attracting unnecessary attention to us, Fred."</p>
<p>     "George's right," sighed Alexandra. "Weren't you the one who said that we should have a <em>'</em>formal' approach to whomever they are?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs would like to express his concerns over the trio's worth for the parchment.</em>
</p>
<p>     Alexandra scoffed, "And who are <em>you </em>to judge our worth?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot would like to remind Ms Black that they're not arrogant gits like her.</em>
</p>
<p>     "Did he just call me an arrogant —"</p>
<p>     "All right," George raised his arms in defeat, "This, they, are too much. A piece of parchment that insults the reader? Wonder if this is why Filch had it in '<em>Confiscated and Highly Dangerous</em>' cabinet."</p>
<p>     "Probably," huffed Fred, looking away.</p>
<p>     "What now?" asked Alexandra.</p>
<p>     "I don't know," replied George. "We should prove our worth to them."</p>
<p>     "How? All they ever do is to insult us!" said Alexandra, her temper slowly sparking.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony wonders how long it will take for Ms Black to use the magical word instead of demanding things.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs would advise Mr Moony to save his breath as all the Blacks are the same noisy, pampered gits.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot would like to ask what Mr Prongs means by that.</em>
</p>
<p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes. This insult match was beginning to get tedious. "All they ever do is to insult me. They're getting insufferable."</p>
<p>     "Let me try it this time," said George with an exasperated sigh. "How exactly do we become worthy?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Come to think of it, Mr Prongs has a few ideas on how to prove your worth.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony requests Mr Weasleys and Ms Black to sneak into the Forbidden Forest.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot agrees with Mr Moony and also requires you to spend the night in the forest.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs would like to add that each one of them shall spend the night alone and not together.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Wormtail agrees with everyone and gives his full support for their choice of tasks.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony wishes them good luck.</em>
</p>
<p>     "Oh, <em>no. </em>I'm not going into the Forbidden Forest at night, let alone spending the night there. There is a reason it's <em>prohibited</em>." Alexandra crossed her arms.</p>
<p>     "Come on, Aly, they are testing us," said Fred encouragingly. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"</p>
<p>     "Hold on a second," George intervened before Fred could convince the girl. "Doesn't this sound sketchy to you too? All of these tasks require us to break a school rule somehow. It's like —"</p>
<p>     "— they want us to misbehave," Fred concluded.</p>
<p>     "Precisely!"</p>
<p>They were slowly beginning to put the pieces together. All those insults, the recommended misdeeds, the everything! Alexandra recalled how the parchment praised the twins when they mentioned wanting to be mischievous, and it clicked.</p>
<p>     Alexandra turned back to the parchment, grinning, as she said, "You're trying to get us to be mischievous, aren't you? But we're mischievous enough on our own." </p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony sends his sincerest apologies to Miss Black and the Weasley brothers for doubting their intelligence.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot is shocked to declare that a member of the house of Black is showing hints of intelligence and a knack for pranks.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs is astonished that a bunch of red-haired gits possess the wit to be mischievous.</em>
</p>
<p>     "I don't know whether or not we should take that as a compliment," grumbled Alexandra.<em><br/></em></p>
<p>     "Well, this was not helpful at all." fumed Fred. "I swear to Merlin I'm this close to tossing this — <em>whatever this is</em> — to fire. At least it'd be useful that way."</p>
<p>     "Oi, Fred," George nudged his brother's chest. "Don't you see? They are just like us! They love making things hard for others, just like we do!"</p>
<p>     "They, in a way, congratulated us when I said that we <em>are </em>mischievous. And we already figured out that they want us to be mischievous —" said Alexandra, but a familiar redhead interrupted her.</p>
<p>     "What are you doing here, at this hour of the night?" said Percy Weasley harshly. He was standing at the boys' dormitory's stairs, arms folded, as he glared at them.</p>
<p>     The trio jumped out of their skin. George instantly tugged the parchment inside his robes when he saw the person addressing them.</p>
<p>     Fred was the first to recompose himself. "Nothin', just chatting is all," he said with his usual smugness. That only seemed to anger the older brother more,</p>
<p>     "You're not allowed to be out of your bed after curfew. I must report you three to a prefect."</p>
<p>     Alexandra quickly jumped onto her feet. "We're terribly sorry," she said in a sweet voice. "If I had known, I'd have never let those two to be out this late. We've completely lost track of time. We will not repeat this. Please, don't report us to a prefect."</p>
<p>     Percy Weasley didn't seem all convinced. Regardless, he sighed. "Very well. I will let this one slip, just for this once, since you're clearly sorry." he said, "Now off to bed before I change my mind."</p>
<p>     Alexandra looked at the boys and mouthed, <em>'you can thank me later'</em> before disappearing into the girls' dormitory. Fred and George glanced at one another before making their way to their dormitory.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>To say horrible wasn't enough to describe their following weeks. The next morning, the trio got ambushed by an overly displeased McGonagall, who scolded them for setting off a Dungbomb in the corridor and then setting another in Filch's office.</p>
<p>     Not much after, they got ambushed by Filch, too. He, by all means, looked utterly terrifying with his Cheshire-like grin. He had, apparently, got McGonagall's full support on giving them two weeks of detention. Or, as Filch put it, <em>punishment</em>.</p>
<p>     It hadn't bothered them <em>that </em>much at first, doing extra chores after classes. But as the days passed, Filch's tasks seemed to get harder. They had little to no time to discuss the odd parchment they'd found, let alone to solve its mystery.</p>
<p>     Their last detention was to accompany Hagrid to the Forbidden Forest. Filch assumed that this alone would scare them enough to prevent another commotion in the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>     He was wrong.</p>
<p>     Alexandra was terrified, yes, but she was too proud to voice it. Twins, however, were delighted to go to the Forbidden Forest. They'd noted as many details as possible for their upcoming trips in the future.</p>
<p>     It was a bit before the curfew once they finally reached the Gryffindor Tower. Fred and Alexandra threw themselves on to the armchair beside the fireplace as George went to get the parchment from his dorm.</p>
<p>     "Let's never do detention with Filch. I never worked this much in my life before," said Alexandra, rubbing her temple.</p>
<p>     Fred snorted. Somehow he knew that these were just warmups for the future detentions they'd get.</p>
<p>     George had a pleased look on his face when he sat between Fred and Alexandra. "I checked up on Percy. He's fast asleep."</p>
<p>     "Good," said Fred. "Not sure if I could handle his rule-loving self tonight."</p>
<p>     George took out the parchment and laid it on his lap. They stared at the parchment expectantly until they realised nothing was going to happen unless they acted on it.</p>
<p>     Fred let out a frustrated sigh. He recalled all the things they had done that might have gotten the parchment animated.</p>
<p>     "Those guys appeared when we tapped over it with our wands last time," began Fred. "And they stopped — well, somewhat stopped — insulting us when we told them we <em>are </em>mischievous."</p>
<p>     Alexandra huffed. "They are making this harder than it should be."</p>
<p>     George's eyes widened as a wide grin formed on his face. "That's it! You're brilliant, Aly, you know that, right?"</p>
<p>     "Um," said Alexandra, looking at Fred to see what was wrong with George. Fred eyed his brother and shrugged. "Thanks... I guess?"</p>
<p>     "They are just like us, Fred! They don't make things easy for us — well — others, and likely, they are mischievous too," explained George.</p>
<p>     "I wonder what this is. I really hope this is a map that leads to a treasure," said Fred, slumping his shoulder.</p>
<p>     "Think about all the prank supplies we could buy with that," said George.</p>
<p>     "Imagine George! We could pull the greatest pranks Hogwarts has ever seen since Peeves was alive!"</p>
<p>     "I swear, you two are never up to good," said Alexandra, shaking her head with a grin.</p>
<p>     Black lines appeared again on the parchment, immediately catching their attention.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Moony and Padfoot would like to compliment Mr Weasleys for their noble choice of task.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Prongs is proud to state that they are on the right track.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Wormtail encourages them to try again.</em>
</p>
<p>     "See that?" Fred beamed. "They are praising us! And — and Prongs said that we're on the right track!"</p>
<p>     George turned to face the girl next to him, "Say what you said again."</p>
<p>     "I swear, you two are never up to good?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Mr Padfoot would advise Miss Black to rephrase her sentence.</em>
</p>
<p>     "Um, perhaps this is an enchanted password?" replied Alexandra. "I swear you're up to no good?"</p>
<p>     Nothing happened.</p>
<p>     "Er — maybe we should try again," said George, "I... swear that <em>I'm</em> up to no good."</p>
<p>     George's word appeared on the parchment before disappearing.</p>
<p>
  <em>How do you swear?</em>
</p>
<p>     "Er, I seriously swear that I'm up to no good," remarked Fred.</p>
<p>     Fred's words appeared then vanished from the parchment.</p>
<p>     "I whole-heartedly swear that I'm up to no good," suggested Alexandra.</p>
<p>     Alexandra's word disappeared on the map, revealing eight letters:</p>
<p>
  <em>S - O - L - E - M - N - L - Y</em>
</p>
<p>     "Oh, well, this is it then," said George.<em><br/></em></p>
<p>     "<em>I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good</em>."</p>
<p>     Thin ink-like lines spread like a spider's web all around the parchment. The lines fanned into every corner of the parchment, and words blossomed. Great, cursive green words that said:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers</strong>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <strong>Are proud to present</strong>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <strong>THE MARAUDER'S MAP</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>     The worn-out, dull-looking parchment turned out to be a map that showed every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. What took Alexandra and the twin's breath away were the tiny ink like dots moving around, each carrying a unique name.</p>
<p>     "Wicked." whispered the twins.</p>
<p>     "Look at these moving dots!" exclaimed Alexandra, "Each carries a name."</p>
<p>     George's eyes drifted to the Gryffindor common room. "Hey, that's us!" he pointed the dots labelled 'Fred Weasley', 'George Weasley' and 'Alexandra Black'.</p>
<p>     "Brilliant," stated Fred, looking absolutely mesmerised.</p>
<p>     "These must represent the people on the grounds!" said George. "Fred, walk around the room, will you?"</p>
<p>     Fred nodded and stood up. George's grin widened as the dot labelled as his brother also paced around the room.</p>
<p>     "This is bloody brilliant," mumbled George before calling his brother back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Back to Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Christmas Holidays rolls around, and Alexandra has to go back to the ancestorial house of the Black Family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra woke up to hushed voices that seemed to be arguing. To Walburga's frustration, Alexandra was never a morning person. Waking her early in the morning was just as likely as getting rid of a Doxy peacefully.</p><p>     Alexandra sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes. Her dormmates went silent once they noticed that she was finally awake.</p><p>     She caught Angelina's prying eyes first. Angelina was wearing a navy blue robe which contrasted her eyes. She had braided her dark hair delicately, as usual, and had a tight-lipped smile on her face as she stared at the young Black.</p><p>     Next to her stood Alicia Spinnet, her other roommate. She seemed tiny when she was next to Angelina. She had tied her curly hair back, yet Alexandra could point at the small strands framing her face.</p><p>     Maya Valley was the third girl in the room. She was holding a hairbrush, probably to tame her unruly hair before leaving their dorm. It was hopeless, as Alexandra had seen her broken hairbrushes more than once.</p><p>     Maya was smiling warmly at Alexandra, in contrast to most Gryffindors.</p><p>     Most saw her as a spoiled Pureblood who looked down upon anyone who wasn't a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Walburga had raised her, sure, but Alexandra wasn't equally obsessed with blood purity as she was. It proved to be troublesome to make friends outside of Slytherin with the surname she carried.</p><p>     Alexandra didn't know whether Angelina and Alicia had heard her using the term 'Mudblood' or that they only found her too arrogant to be friends, either way, they didn't seem to like her all that much.</p><p>     "Good morning." greeted Maya.</p><p>     "Good morning." Alexandra greeted back.</p><p>     Angelina and Alicia said, '<em>Good morning'</em> before exiting the dormitory.</p><p>     Once she fully came to her senses, Alexandra's eyes widened in panic when she realised that the others had packed to board. None of the girls would've packed unless it was time to leave.</p><p>     "Dear Merlin... What time is it?" Alexandra prayed that Maya would assure her it was still early in the morning.</p><p>     "Er — it's nine o'clock."</p><p>     "WHAT?" she jumped off her bed, frantically looking around the dormitory to see where she should start packing. "The train leaves in an hour. There's no way for me to be there on time!"</p><p>     Alexandra grabbed her brush and ran to the nearest mirror. She brushed her wavy hair in a hurry (which did little help to her dreadful bed hair) and then turned to grab a dress to wear on her way back. She tossed her brush inside her trunk and piled a bunch of clothes in it.</p><p>     "Hey, hey, calm down. You're making it worse," said Maya in an attempt to calm the girl who dashed around the dormitory.</p><p>     Alexandra glanced towards Maya and then back to her now completely scattered trunk. She flinched at the mess she made.</p><p>     "I could help you pack, y'know," said Maya slowly.</p><p>     Alexandra's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be great!"</p><p>     Maya grinned and pointed out Alexandra's mess of a trunk. "I believe it's for the best if we start from tidying <em>that </em>up."</p><p>     "Er — yeah, you're right," replied Alexandra, grinning clumsily.</p><p>     The two girls soon packed up her trunk and were ready to leave. Alexandra laid Vela in her basket as Maya's cat, too, was in her basket. Girls picked them up to carry them to their compartments. They exited the dormitory, their trunks left behind to get moved to the station.</p><p>     Maya had a fluffy, cream-coloured cat. Having cats was another topic they were able to bond over the previous months, as most of the students preferred to bring owls instead.</p><p>     "Oh, wait!" said Maya, placing the basket down before rushing back to their dorm. She came down holding something wrapped with napkins.</p><p>     "I saved these from breakfast," she said, handing the food wrapped with napkins to Alexandra. "Since you didn't come. Figured you'd be starving."</p><p>     Alexandra stared at the food. "That — that's very thoughtful of you. You didn't have to, thank you."</p><p>     Maya shrugged. "It's no problem, really. Although, if we don't hurry, we might as well end up spending Christmas in Hogwarts."</p><p>     As the Christmas Holidays rolled around, the students heading back ought to board the Hogwarts Express at ten o'clock sharp. The twins and Lee had decided to stay at school, saying that they wanted to explore the castle with the Marauder's Map now that Lee also knew about its existence.</p><p>     After informing Lee about the map, the four of them vowed to keep its existence a secret. It was an unusual map, most likely an illegal one, at that, and they didn't want to risk it getting caught.</p><p>     Alexandra wanted to explore the castle alongside the boys. However, she had received a letter from Walburga a few weeks prior to the holiday, requiring her appearance for the Christmas dinner she arranged with the Malfoys — which meant that Alexandra had no choice but to head home.</p><p>     Alexandra moved into an empty compartment, with Maya following behind. She placed the basket beside her as Maya did the same. They opened their cats' baskets so that they wouldn't be trapped inside their suffocating baskets the entire time.</p><p>     The girls chatted on about anything and everything until the Trolley Lady came in. Alexandra told the Trolley Lady that she'd be buying candies for both of them. As Maya tried to protest, Alexandra assured her that this was her way of thanking her.</p><p>     "That would be a total of one Galleons and two Knuts, dear," said the Trolley Lady.</p><p>     "Woah, that's — you're not paying that much for me, Alexandra — !"</p><p>     Alexandra ignored her and handed the money to the Trolley Lady. Maya's eyes were wide open as she inspected the young Black.</p><p>     "It's nothing, I assure you. Grandmother wouldn't even realise the absence of a Galleon in our vault."</p><p>     Maya nodded reluctantly. They placed their sweets on the table between them. They ate them in silence until Maya spoke up. "You're not as arrogant as others make you be."</p><p>     Alexandra snickered. "I suppose that's quite flattering."</p><p>     "Speaking of your grandmother," said Maya with a full mouth, "How come you're going back? Wasn't she, I don't know, <em>furious</em> at you at the beginning of the year?"</p><p>     Alexandra recalled the Howler incident in her second week of the year. The unsettling feeling Walburga's reaction had caused rolled back, and in a flash, Alexandra found herself unable to enjoy the sweets ahead of her.</p><p>     "Er, yeah, she was. But she sent me an owl a few weeks ago, saying that she was expecting me back."</p><p>     "Oh," said Maya, but Alexandra couldn't distinguish whether she was happy for her or sorry. "Well, that must be a good start, right?"</p><p>     "I expect so."</p><p>     When the train came to a halt, Maya and Alexandra placed their cats back into their baskets and departed ways. Maya waved to Alexandra as she spotted her parents right away. Alexandra waved back and began looking around to find her grandmother.</p><p>     It didn't take long for Kreacher to appear beside her. Kreacher took her belongings, and Alexandra let the old house-elf guide her to the Black matriarch.</p><p>     Walburga was standing tall with her long black robe falling to the floor. Even at the age of sixty-four, she still carried her aristocratic looks, a trait that all Blacks possessed.</p><p>     "Good evening, Alexandra," Walburga greeted with a tight-lipped smile. "Your train ride has been satisfactory, I presume?"</p><p>     "It has, Grandmother."</p><p>     "Excellent. Now, I expect you to be tired from the journey. Let's not waste any more time here."</p><p>     Walburga grimaced as she eyed the sorcerers around them. Neither of them were good enough to be tolerated. For Walburga, whoever mingled with filthy blood was a stain to the wizardkind.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded again. Walburga took out her wand and Apparated them to the ancestral house of the Black family.</p><p>     Alexandra found herself in the familiar grand hallway. Looking around, she saw the silver serpents' striking eyes glaring at her now red and gold self. Her late ancestors were gawking at her before she curtly greeted the ornate portraits she had got to be familiar with over the years.</p><p>     "May I be excused until dinnertime, Grandmother?" asked Alexandra.</p><p>     "Certainly. But do not be late. Dinner's in less than thirty minutes, and there are issues we <em>must </em>address," replied Walburga.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded. Upon reaching the topmost floor, she couldn't help but stroll in front of the two infamous rooms before heading to hers. She had always been curious about the stories they held, even secretly entering a few times, but to no avail. There was nothing but dust — and 'shameful' pictures engraved to the walls for Sirius' case.</p><p>     Two noble brothers who fell from grace...</p><p>     One couldn't help but wonder what went down for them to take such paths.</p><p>     Alexandra brushed her fingertips lightly on the golden nameplate, <em>Sirius Black</em>. The very door that had always been a cruel reminder of her abandonment, of her absent father. She frowned upon the harsh reminder of her absent family.</p><p>     The hall felt gloomier than ever. The large window in which the London sun entered now seemed to block every ounce of light from entering with its heavy velvet curtain.</p><p>     "Lady Alexandra?"</p><p>     She whirled around, startled from the sudden call. A heavy sigh escaped her lips when she spotted Kreacher.</p><p>     "You gave me a good scare there, Kreacher."</p><p>     "Kreacher apologises for alarming the Young Mistress. He meant to remind her that dinner is ready."</p><p>     "Thank you, Kreacher," she said earnestly.</p><p>     A rare, almost a smile-like twitch emerged on his lips and disappeared just as fast. His serious demeanour returned as he saw the door Alexandra was facing before.</p><p>     "Lady Alexandra shouldn't waste time with her blood traitor of a father. Kreacher knows he bothers her."</p><p>     She waved Kreacher off. "Oh, not to worry, Kreacher. I wasn't doing anything regarding him."</p><p>     Kreacher eyed her warily before replying, "Very well. Young Mistress should get ready. Kreacher has prepared her favourite meal."</p><p>     A wide smile spread on her face. "I'll be there in a minute!" she yelled, sprinting to her room across the Black brothers'.</p><p>     Alexandra ran down the stairs, not paying attention to her surly ancestors' portraits on the walls, which were busy shrieking at her for waking them. She didn't mind. She stopped caring about their rants a long time ago.</p><p>     However, she couldn't help but feel pity for the house-elves' shrunken heads positioned on the wall. It made her stomach flip every time she passed by.</p><p>     It wasn't an elegant decor nor a sight to be proud of, though it certainly was a haunting view when she was a little girl. She never understood how her great aunt Elladora could come up with a tradition so cruel.</p><p>     She examined her green dress and newly braided hair before entering the dining room. Walburga was seated in her usual chair, waiting for the girl.</p><p>     Alexandra seated herself across the Black matriarch. She shifted her gaze to the expensive silverware that suddenly seemed more interesting than Walburga's judging glares.</p><p>     "That is an unacceptable way for a lady in your class to behave, running around, disturbing your esteemed ancestors... " said Walburga, shaking her head.</p><p>     "I apologise, Grandmother. I did not wish to await you," replied Alexandra, still looking down.</p><p>     "Your improper demeanour is to be addressed another day. We have more concerning matters, like your House, Gryffindor."</p><p>     Alexandra stirred her attention back to Walburga. "Grandmother —"</p><p>     Walburga raised her hand to silence her. "What happened has happened," said Walburga. "What matters now is what you'll do afterwards."</p><p>     Walburga remembered the day her eldest son got placed into Gryffindor. He was always a tad different from Regulus, yes, but the drastic changes had occurred once he was in Hogwarts.</p><p>     Walburga would not lose another family member to Gryffindor foolishness.</p><p>     "First," began Walburga. "You are not to associate yourself outside of Slytherin, especially with Mudbloods and those who posses traitorous ideologies. Do not get yourself into trouble. I do not wish to receive another owl regarding your misbehaviour," Walburga eyed the girl suspiciously.</p><p>     Alexandra gulped. She was wondering whether Walburga'd heard about her detentions with the twins. It surprised her to see how lightly Walburga handled the incident.</p><p>     "And last, I expect you to excel in all your classes. Being sorted into a different House must not affect this."</p><p>     Alexandra nodded nimbly. She didn't dare to stand up to Walburga, not at that age. Every time Alexandra was to speak up, she'd get reminded of the harsh truth that Alexandra had no one but Walburga. She would've gotten kicked off to some orphanage if not for Walburga, and she was more than grateful for that.</p><p>     Alexandra was close to her aunt Narcissa and had no doubts over her affection towards her, but she wasn't sure whether Lucius Malfoy would be equally kind if she ever needed a new home.</p><p>     They ate in silence. Not that it was ever different. 12 Grimmauld Place was housing a single child within its heavy walls, and that certainly wasn't enough to brighten up the gloomy place.</p><p>     Alexandra wondered whether anyone had ever been cheerful at that very house.</p><p>     "That reminds me," said Walburga, drawing her attention. "Malfoy's will spend Christmas with us, as I mentioned in my letter. I expect you to be in your best behaviour when they arrive."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Too Formal for a Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the Malfoy-Black Christmas dinner, Draco starts to question his cousin's sanity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Yes, Grandmother, I understood," Alexandra grumbled. It was getting insufferable to listen to Walburga's endless instructions. "I won't answer questions regarding my House other than its name — especially if it is <em>uncle Lucius</em> that's asking."</p>
<p>     "Excellent," Walburga clapped her hands in delight. "I'm certain tonight will go smoothly."</p>
<p>     "If you say so..." mumbled Alexandra, but Walburga appeared to catch that.</p>
<p>     "I'm <em>most certain</em>, dear! Your cousin, Draco, will be present, too. I've seen how well you two get along — and I'm certainly pleased about that. It's nice for you to have friends your age."</p>
<p>     Walburga, for once, was right. Alexandra and Draco had hit off at a very young age. Her amusing ideas had always managed to amaze Draco. He was never quite as fearless as Alexandra when it came to pranking others, but he sure had a good laugh when they did.</p>
<p>     "Lucius may attempt to mock you for your House," Walburga placed a firm hand on Alexandra's shoulder, making sure that her words sank in. "Don't let him bother you. That is what he does best. If he tries, I will intervene."</p>
<p>     Alexandra turned to the woman standing beside her. She wasn't sure whether Walburga was being affectionate or solely protecting the Black name.</p>
<p>     "Don't worry, Grandmother, Lucius won't get to me," assured Alexandra. She noticed that Walburga was smiling proudly at her from the corner of her eye.</p>
<p>     The Malfoy's appeared from the fireplace not much after. It was no surprise that they got dressed elegantly, wearing their precious jewellery even for a simple family gathering.</p>
<p>     "Good evening, aunt Walburga." greeted Narcissa.</p>
<p>     "Mrs Black," Lucius nodded curtly. "It is an utmost pleasure to see you on this fine evening."</p>
<p>     "Likewise, Lucius," said Walburga, turning to Narcissa and Draco to greet them.</p>
<p>     Walburga led the Malfoy's to the dining room. As Walburga seated herself to the head of the table, delicate silverware and fancy plates appeared, decorating the table with the Black family crest and china.</p>
<p>     The Malfoys and Mrs Black were engaged in an uncommonly formal conversation for a Christmas table when food appeared.</p>
<p>     After dinner, Alexandra, Walburga and the Malfoys moved to the drawing-room. There, they engaged in yet another formal conversation.</p>
<p>     Narcissa, noticing how bored the children seemed, told them they could do whatever they wanted to.</p>
<p>     Alexandra dragged Draco to an empty hallway right after they got excused. The boy was thoroughly confused. Why was Alexandra dragging him around and not heading up to their usual place, her room?</p>
<p>     There, Draco got to play with Alexandra's cat — something Lucius Malfoy would never get to his son. Draco envied Alexandra for convincing her grandmother on getting a cat.</p>
<p>     He also wondered how his dear cousin got sorted to Gryffindor. Then again, Draco knew that she was a quite reckless person. He could never bring himself to even disagree with his father, whereas Alexandra could go as far as pulling a stunt on him.</p>
<p>     Alexandra grinned at Draco's perplexed face when they reached the desired corridor. She placed her hands on his shoulder and turned him to face her.</p>
<p>     "Can you keep a secret?" asked Alexandra, smirking knowingly.</p>
<p>     Draco looked at her now sparkling grey eyes and instantly knew that she was about to show him something interesting. So, without giving it much thought, he nodded eagerly.</p>
<p>     "Excellent!" she beamed. "See that wall? That's not actually a wall." Alexandra pointed to the empty wall ahead of them.</p>
<p>     Draco frowned, not understanding her point. How could a simple wall be, well, something else? He was beginning to worry for his cousin's sanity that seemed to be slipping away around the Gryffindors.</p>
<p>     "I don't get it."</p>
<p>     "Well, that's reasonable. I haven't told you what it is yet."</p>
<p>     Draco gave her an irritated look.</p>
<p>     "Oh, all right!" muttered Alexandra bitterly. She hated how Draco lacked the sense of humour Fred and George had. "That there hides a library. It only reveals itself to the members of the Black family."</p>
<p>     "But-but why can't <em>I</em> see it? I'm a member of the Black family too!"</p>
<p>     Alexandra had to restrain her laugh at Draco's scowling face. "You're not looking carefully."</p>
<p>     Draco was about to complain that he was looking as carefully as possible to a blank wall when he caught the sight of a door. He could have sworn that that door wasn't there earlier.</p>
<p>     "I — that — but — there wasn't —"</p>
<p>     Alexandra, standing in front of the door, motioned him to hurry up. "Will you grace us with your presence, or will you fuss over there for the rest of the night?"</p>
<p>     Without a second thought, Draco rushed to her side. They entered the library, and Draco's breath hitched. He had hidden a few times in the Malfoy library, but this was nothing like it.</p>
<p>     He glanced up to the high ceiling, observing the antique chandeliers hovering over them. It seemed as if there were endless shelves of books, and he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It resembled the ancient libraries his mother told him — yet something about the library made it seem dark.</p>
<p>     He was far too young to acknowledge the dark artefacts present in the library. Centuries of collecting had done its trick, and it appeared like anything could be found in the Black library.</p>
<p>     No wonder the Blacks had been concealing their knowledge of magic strictly to themselves; it was too precious and risky to share with others.</p>
<p>     It seemed like someone had already been here, a pile of books scattered on the large wooden table, each containing something different.</p>
<p>     "How did you find here?" questioned Draco.</p>
<p>     "Er — that's a story for another time."</p>
<p>     "I'm guessing you've been here before," said Draco, pointing the books resting on the table.</p>
<p>     "Yes, it's intriguing here. The knowledge, I mean. There are loads of things to read and learn. But don't worry, I didn't bring you here to bore you out of your mind."</p>
<p>     Alexandra took out her wand and pointed it to the floor. She turned to her cousin after casting the Slippery Jinx.</p>
<p>     "Er — Andra, what are you doing?"</p>
<p>     Alexandra grinned broadly at him. Before Draco could repeat his question, she made a starting run towards the jinxed floor, squealing as she slid through. She ran back excitedly, nearly falling down a few times.</p>
<p>     Draco was watching her in bafflement. He had to admit; it seemed quite fun, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was not proper attire.</p>
<p>     "Oh, come on, Draco!" Alexandra beckoned her cousin over. "I promise they cannot find us here — that's why I brought you."</p>
<p>     Draco didn't seem convinced. It worried him that his father or Walburga would find them and scold them for eternity.</p>
<p>     Alexandra sighed in annoyance. She grabbed his hands and dragged him with her.</p>
<p>     "I'm not doing that — aRGHH!"</p>
<p>     After a few tries and fails, Draco seemed to enjoy it like Alexandra. He laughed as they slid through the floor.</p>
<p>     "Not <em>that </em>bad, was it?" she asked cheekily.</p>
<p>     Grinning, Draco agreed. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just a small filler chapter. Perhaps the well-mannered girl always had a wild side in her.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Mudblood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Draco Malfoy should have been careful with the choice of his words.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Three years into the future; 1992 - the Chamber of Secrets</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra took a bite out of her toast while going through her new timetable. The only course missing was Muggle Studies. Walburga had forced her to take every <em>'reasonable'</em> subject Hogwarts offered. That way, she could brag about her granddaughter's exceeding marks.</p><p>     Muggle Studies wasn't a part of it, of course. Walburga found it maddening that there was a subject dedicated to Muggles.</p><p>     Alexandra had to double-check to make sure she wasn't seeing her timetable wrong. She had double Potions first thing on Mondays.</p><p>     She groaned loudly. The last thing she needed was Snape's merry face gracing her Monday mornings.</p><p>     Alexandra saw Lee Jordan dropping his head onto the table. Like the rest of the fourth-year Gryffindors, he was blessed with double Potions on Mondays, too.</p><p>     Involuntarily, Lee lifted his head from the table, a deep frown carved on his face, to complain to the twins. Fred and George shared a similar scowl on their faces, whining about being forced to see Snape first thing in the morning.</p><p>     In the end, Alexandra had to drag them out of the hall to head down to the cold dungeons, where the Potions lessons were.</p><p>     Alexandra was less than eager to be there, too, especially that early in the morning. She enjoyed the overall potion-making curriculum, but not the professor. Potions could've been her favourite course (and possibly for many more) if it wasn't for its dreary professor: <em>Snape</em>.</p><p>     It seemed like Snape had a personal feud with Alexandra. She could never put her finger on why, but she knew Snape <em>loathed </em>her.</p><p>     The feeling was mutual.</p><p>     She liked to believe that she was rather skilled at Potions. Either way, Snape'd find a way to insult her work. She would've stopped minding him a long time ago if she didn't intend on taking Alchemy for her NEWTs. Outstanding marks in Potions were a must for Alchemy students.</p><p>     And for that, she tried to be as polite as possible to Snape. She was worried that he would fail her if she ever snapped at his insults.</p><p>     Alexandra could handle lots of things, but failing a subject wasn't one of them. She prided herself with her top grades, just like Walburga did, and she wasn't planning on stopping soon.</p><p>     The school didn't come off hard for Alexandra, besides for Herbology. She didn't like the subject, and to be fair, plants had never been a topic of interest for her. She didn't particularly fancy dealing with different breeds of plants and how to grow them. Living in a gloomy house with little to no plants might have been another reason for her dislike of the subject. And thus, she couldn't pay attention to the class. Complaining about Herbology alongside Maya was far more entertaining than actually listening to Professor Sprout.</p><p>     Not that it mattered. Alexandra was thinking of dropping Herbology after her OWLs. Eleven NEWTs were enough for anybody.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Fred and George were annoyed by many things in their fourth-year. It was mostly by the amount of work they got assigned, which they completed if forced by Alexandra, and that their friend was <em>'too busy'</em> to hang out with them in the evenings.</p><p>     Seeing as she didn't have any free periods, she was too preoccupied with running from one class to another the whole week and doing her assignments in the evenings. All the fourth-years had noticed a sharp increase in the amount of work required to complete — which only doubled for students like Alexandra, who took almost every subject Hogwarts offered.</p><p>     It also annoyed Fred and George that Oliver Wood had dragged them to the Quidditch field at the crack of dawn as a part of their new training program.</p><p>     They were sitting, puffy-eyed and dishevel haired, next to Alexandra, who seemed asleep on her seat. Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, her fellow Chasers, were yawning across them.</p><p>     "There you are, Harry, what kept you?" said Wood, "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we get onto the field because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference... "</p><p>     Wood unfolded a large sketch of a Quidditch field, on which had many lines, arrows, and crosses in different-coloured inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and they wiggled over the plan like caterpillars. As Wood began a speech about his latest tactics, Fred's head drooped right onto Alexandra's shoulder. Alexandra jolted awake by the sudden impact while Fred snored.</p><p>     The first board took nearly twenty minutes to go over, but there were two more boards under it, waiting to get presented. Alexandra's eyes got heavier as Wood droned on and on.</p><p>     She woke up to Fred hoisting his head from her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes sleepily while trying to regain her senses.</p><p>     "I've got a question, Oliver," said George. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"</p><p>     Wood didn't look all too pleased with George's remark.</p><p>     "Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glaring at his team. "We should have won the Quidditch Cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately — owing to circumstances beyond our control —"</p><p>     He took a moment to regain control of himself. It appeared that the last year's loss still tortured him.</p><p>     "So this year, we train harder than ever before... Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, grabbing his broom and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, the Gryffindor team followed him outside.</p><p>     Alexandra hadn't grasped how long they'd been in the locker room until she saw that the sun was up now.</p><p>     She mounted her broom and kicked at the ground. The cool morning breeze woke her far more effectively than any of Maya's methods as she soared around the pitch.</p><p>     It felt incredible to be back on the Quidditch field. It was one of the places she felt free.</p><p>     She soared to Angelina's side. Being in the same Quidditch team had somewhat patched up the sour feelings between the duo. They weren't quite intimate but no longer on aversion terms either. Acquaintances, as Alexandra liked to call it.</p><p>     "I'd say <em>'good morning'</em>, but it's not a pleasant morning with Wood hauling over us," said Alexandra jokingly.</p><p>     Angelina laughed. Katie, too, was soon beside them. Angelina went over Wood's new training program since Katie was too drowsy to pay attention, and Alexandra straight-up slept the whole time.</p><p>     Alexandra spotted Wood thundering over a group of boys with Harry, Fred and George. It didn't take a genius to guess that they were the Slytherin Quidditch team, with their blazing green robes. The question, however, was <em>why they were there</em>. Oliver wouldn't have dragged them out if it was someone else's turn to use the pitch. No, Oliver wasn't like that, no matter how ambitious he was.</p><p>     The girls exchanged worried glances before landing beside the Gryffindor boys.</p><p>     Slytherin didn't have any girls on its team; they were all well-built boys. Alexandra saw Adrian towering above some of his peers. He gave her an apologetic smile when he noticed her.</p><p>     "But I booked the field!" said Wood, fuming with rage. "I booked it!"</p><p>     "Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. <em>'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practise today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker</em>. "</p><p>     "You've got a new Seeker?" asked Wood, distracted, "Who?"</p><p>     A boy tinier in comparison came behind the elder players with a wide smirk on his face. It was Draco Malfoy, Alexandra's beloved cousin.</p><p>     "Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son? Cousin of Alexandra?" asked Fred, looking at Malfoy with distaste.</p><p>     "Funny you mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smirked broadly. "Let us show you the generous gift he got to the Slytherin team."</p><p>     All seven of them held out their broomsticks with pride. Seven highly polished, brand-new handled, with seven sets of fine gold lettering which read <em>Nimbus Two Thousand and One</em>.</p><p>     Alexandra recalled Walburga mentioning that Lucius Malfoy buying seven pairs of newly out broomsticks. She cringed at the memory, Walburga bragging about how lucky Narcissa was to have such a great husband and how she wished it upon Alexandra.</p><p>     "The latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint casually, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps, " Flint smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives. "sweeps the board with them."</p><p>     "Oh, shut it, Flint," Alexandra retorted, catching Flint's attention.</p><p>     "Alexandra! Didn't see you there!" said Flint, flashing a quick look at her scarlet Quidditch robes, then her broom.</p><p>     "It's Black to you," snarled Alexandra, but Flint didn't seem to care.</p><p>     "Looking charming, as always. Almost forgot how noble you are, with the people you hang out with," said Flint, smirking. Alexandra noticed that Draco was smirking too. "Speaking of which, why do you still have that old <em>Nimbus Two Thousand</em>?"</p><p>     "At least <em>those people </em>don't gloat over their new broomsticks. And I don't need the latest broomstick to play well, unlike you, who needs more than just a new broom!" she spat.</p><p>     "Don't be like that, now. I'm sure it would only take a single owl for you to get one of <em>these</em>." Flint showed his new broomstick while smiling nastily at the twins. He <em>knew</em> he hit a nerve.</p><p>     Alexandra glared at him, cheeks flushed with rage, while the Gryffindor team fell silent, neither of them knowing what to say. Alexandra wished she had her wand with her so that she could blast off Flint's broom. And the smirk on his face, too, while at it.</p><p>     As much as she hated to admit, Flint was right. It really would take an owl for her to convince Walburga to buy her the latest broomstick.</p><p>     Draco's smirk broadened with Flint's words. Alexandra wanted nothing more in her life to hex her cousin for mocking her friends.</p><p>     "Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion." Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see why the Gryffindor team mounted off their brooms.</p><p>     "What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's <em>he </em>doing here?"</p><p>     "I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," Draco said smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought for our team."</p><p>     Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven exquisite broomsticks standing in front of him. Alexandra couldn't blame him for his reaction. She, too, felt like she was in the presence of Merlin himself.</p><p>     "Good, aren't they?" said Draco smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them. Or, <em>oh</em>, wait!"</p><p>     Draco smiled at his cousin. A sinister smile, which froze Alexandra's insides. "Perhaps Alexandra would be generous enough to cover up the expenses <em>for the entire team</em>."</p><p>     Draco made an extra effort to indicate the last part, aiming his cold gaze at the furious Weasleys.</p><p>     The Slytherin team howled with laughter, except for Adrian. He didn't like the way Alexandra was gawking at Draco.</p><p>     "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to <em>buy </em>their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."</p><p>     The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little <em>Mudblood</em>,"</p><p>     There were a few seconds of silence. Alexandra liked to believe that it was the calmness before the storm.</p><p>     Hell broke loose after Draco's words.</p><p>     Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George from jumping on him. Alexandra stood, frozen, in her spot. Adrian rushed to her side to make sure she wouldn't do something she'd regret later.</p><p>     Her gaze flickered between Hermione and Draco. She saw Ron yelling at Draco and aiming his broken wand at him.</p><p><em>     The poor girl</em>, thought Alexandra, <em>doesn't even know what it means.</em></p><p>     A loud <em>bang </em>echoed around the stadium, and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him stumbling back onto the grass.</p><p>     "Ron! <em>Ron</em>! Are you all right?" shouted Hermione.</p><p>     Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he gave a mighty <em>belch, </em>and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.</p><p>     The Slytherin team had stiffened with laughter. Flint had doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. And Draco was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist.</p><p>    Adrian, too, couldn't help but snort. Alexandra nudged his chest while glaring at him. She looked overly intimidating when she was angry, and Adrian could quickly point out the similarities her glare shared with Walburga's. He tried to muffle his chuckles with his hand to not get on Alexandra's bad graces.</p><p>     Alexandra rushed to her teammates' side, who had gathered around Ron. He kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.</p><p>     "We'd better get him to Hagrid's. It's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely. The pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Fred and George were eerily quiet at dinner. It was not only them but their sister, Ginny, too. She was acting odd lately, but Alexandra blamed it on the overwhelming feeling of being a first-year.</p><p>     Earlier that evening, Adrian tried to reason with Alexandra that Draco was young and naïve and didn't mean what he said.</p><p>     Alexandra hoped that he was right, but a part of her knew Draco <em>meant</em> what he said. That scared her to no end, her beloved cousin becoming a blood supremacist.</p><p>     She didn't understand why Muggle-borns were hated with such passion. She knew that Walburga viewed them as unfit due to the lack of magical blood that flooded through their veins. But was that a valid point if they possed even a single ounce of magic?</p><p>     She knew Draco was desperately avoiding her the entire day. Why was he so frightened to confront his cousin?</p><p>     "Planning on scolding your brat of a cousin, I hope," said George flatly once they moved on to dessert.</p><p>     "I am, though he's been avoiding me since the accident — !"</p><p>     "It was no accident! That brat knew what that meant!" George scowled. His expression softened as he realised that he snapped on his best friend. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."</p><p>     "No, no, George's got a solid point. Why don't you face him in public?" asked Fred. Alexandra didn't know whether he was staring at her in disgust or curiosity. Either way, she felt as if she had failed her friends.</p><p>     "I — er, " she didn't know how to tell them she couldn't just face Draco in public. Walburga would definitely hear about that, and so would Lucius, and that was something she wasn't brave enough to do.</p><p>     Sometimes she wondered how she even got sorted into Gryffindor. How could she call herself a Gryffindor when she couldn't even disagree with her family?</p><p>     She stood up promptly to head to the Slytherin table. There, she spotted the blonde boy.</p><p>     "Draco," said Alexandra calmly, "We need to talk. Now."</p><p>     Draco looked stunned. Clearing his throat, "Very well, cousin." he replied, trying not to falter under her harsh gaze.</p><p>     They headed to an empty corridor, far from the Great Hall.</p><p>     "How could you say that to Granger?" said Alexandra quietly, after a while of deafening silence.</p><p>     "What? That's what she is, a Mud—"</p><p>     "Don't!" Alexandra silenced him firmly. "Don't you dare to finish that sentence!"</p><p>     "Since when you're a Mudblood lover?" asked Draco, bewildered, "What would great aunt Walburga say about this?"</p><p>     "I'm not a Mudblood lover! And for Merlin's sake, stop calling them that!" she lashed out, though her face paled when she realised she used the slur she was trying not to use. "Oh, <em>shit</em>. I just called them a <em>Mudblood </em>instead of <em>Muggle-born</em>!" she dropped her face to her palms.</p><p>    Draco hesitantly placed his hand onto her shoulder in which he hoped was a comforting manner. "Andra, you're a Black. Those people don't match us —"</p><p>     "Stop! Stop with this rubbish!" she shrugged off his hand. "I have met remarkable witches and wizards born into Muggle families. They are not so different from us."</p><p>     "No, <em>you </em>stop this rubbish!" Draco retorted, slowly getting irritated. "They don't even know about our existence until they come here. How's that fair? Purebloods <em>have and always will be </em>superior to the rest. Those Weasleys have clearly messed up your mind!"</p><p>     Silence.</p><p>     Draco was getting nervous by the tense silence surrounding them.</p><p>     "We're done here." Alexandra's gaze hardened, her voice gaining an edge. She hated it when people spoke ill about her friends, those who didn't judge by her name.</p><p>     Draco gaped. Alexandra's bitter expression was enough to let him know that he finally crossed a line. He watched her leave without spearing a second glance.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chamber of Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The mysterious Chamber of Secrets reopens while the Slytherin Beaters flattened the Gryffindor Chasers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>October arrived with its chill spreading all around the Hogwarts castle and grounds. A sudden spate of cold amongst the castle's residents was keeping the Hospital Wing busier than ever.</p><p>     The sudden spread of cold wasn't the only thing that came with October. Constant rain was a part of it, too. The castle grounds turned muddy, and the Black Lake rose, yet Oliver Wood's enthusiasm for practice didn't falter.</p><p>     He had tasked Fred and George to spy on the Slytherin team, and they notified Wood of how brilliant their brooms were, thus provoking Wood to train his team harder than before.</p><p>     Days went by, and Ginny Weasley seemed to be getting paler too. Alexandra had barely spoken to the youngest Weasley, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Whenever she saw her at dinner, she'd seem exhausted. Almost distressed, even.</p><p>     However, Ginny Weasley was the least of her concerns.</p><p>
  <strong>THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.</strong>
</p><p>     The word spread like wildfire. Chamber of Secrets had opened, and Mrs Norris, Filch's cat, got <em>petrified</em>. Alexandra couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. She couldn't picture her Vela being in Mrs Norris' state.</p><p><em>     The Chamber of Secrets</em>...</p><p>     That sounded oddly familiar. Perhaps Alexandra had read about it back in the Black Library. Either way, she needed a copy of <em>Hogwarts, A History, </em>to tame her suspicions<em>.</em></p><p>     Alexandra and Maya sprinted down to the library the next morning. It took them a good thirty minutes, but they found a copy. She proudly presented it to Maya as the girls began looking for a chapter regarding the Chamber of Secrets.</p><p>     "There is nothing about the Chamber of Secrets here," complained Alexandra once she finished scanning the last page of the book. Angered by her wasted time, she closed it with a <em>thud</em>.</p><p>     "That's because it's a <em>legend, </em>silly. You can't find it on a history book."</p><p>     Alexandra spun around to see the owner of the quite familiar voice. A tall boy with emerald robes was smirking down at them.</p><p>     "Wait, you know about the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Alexandra, slightly intrigued.</p><p>     "Er, just as much as every other Slytherin," replied Adrian with a shrug.</p><p>     "Can you tell us about it?" asked Maya hopefully.</p><p>     "Please — or else the <em>curiosity will kill us</em>!" Alexandra exaggerated.</p><p>     Adrian seemed like he was pondering on whether to tell the girls what he knew. Neither of them was Muggle-born, yet that didn't change the fact that they needed to know about the threat resting within the castle.</p><p>     Adrian let out a weary sigh and suddenly pilled the books in his arms onto the table. He dropped himself to the empty chair across the girls, then began telling them the story of the Four Founders of Hogwarts.</p><p>     "... After the conflict Salazar Slytherin had with Godric Gryffindor, Slytherin left the school. That is where the legend comes in, suggesting that he built a chamber. One that only he knew of before leaving. It's called <em>'the Chamber of Secrets'</em>. It got sealed that only Salazar Slytherin's rightful heir could enter.</p><p>     "He hid something in there, one that would hunt those unworthy of magic."</p><p>     The surrounding air got uneasy by the time he concluded his story. Alexandra and Maya exchanged nervous looks, both understanding what Adrian implied.</p><p>     "Unworthy of magic as in... " said Maya, breaking the silence.</p><p>     "Yes, Muggle-borns."</p><p>     Maya gaped at Adrian, startled. It wasn't an everyday event for a Slytherin to address a Muggle-born as <em>Muggle-born</em> and not <em>Mudblood</em>.</p><p>     "You didn't use the slur," Maya blurted out.</p><p>     "Pardon?"</p><p>     "You didn't use the slur, like the rest of the Slytherins."</p><p>     "Isn't that a good thing?" Adrian frowned.</p><p>     "Er — yes. Just surprised," said Maya, turning crimson.</p><p>     "Look," began Adrian, "Not every Slytherin's obsessed with blood purity."</p><p>     Maya avoided his gaze, looking more flustered.</p><p>     "Hold on, how do you even know of this legend?" asked Alexandra, changing the subject for the sake of Maya's crimson cheeks.</p><p>     Adrian gave her a charming smirk. "I know <em>everything</em>."</p><p>     Alexandra didn't look impressed. She eyed him warily until his smirk dropped.</p><p>     "Oh, fine! Cassius and I were in the common room when a bunch of second-years began to speak about it. And, well, we overheard it! Everyone's curious about the Heir of Slytherin's identity."</p><p>     "Well," said Alexandra, expecting him to proceed. "Got any guesses?"</p><p>     Adrian shook his head, "No, not a clue."</p><p>     "What about Cassius?" asked Alexandra. "He always has ideas."</p><p>     "He's just as puzzled as the rest of us," replied Adrian. Then, he cleared his throat and stood up. "As much as I'd enjoy staying and gossiping, I better go. I've got some last-minute work to catch up on.</p><p>     "Later, ladies." he winked before picking up his books and disappearing into the depths of the library.</p><p>     Maya dropped her head on to the table and groaned the minute Adrian disappeared.</p><p>     Alexandra snickered, "You fancy him," she sang.</p><p>     Maya's head snapped in her direction. "I do not! I — I blush when I'm embarrassed! I thought you'd have picked that up by now."</p><p>     "Mhm, keep kidding yourself."</p><p>     Maya groaned louder before dropping her head again.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Alexandra had a tough time sleeping the night before their first match of the year. She couldn't help but wonder how they were planning to beat the Slytherins while they owned the fastest broom gold could buy.</p><p>     The following morning wasn't any better than the night before. The weekends were supposed to be the festive time of the week. No school to bug her other than the work she left to the very last minute.</p><p>     That wasn't the case for that Sunday, seeing as there was a Quidditch match awaiting her. One that she couldn't lose. It was either winning or her head.</p><p>     She noticed that Maya and Alicia were still sleeping. Angelina's bed, however, was empty. Grumbling, she got up from her comfortable bed and headed to the bathroom to tame her wavy hair.</p><p>     Soon, Alexandra was fully dressed, and she headed down to the Great Hall. Harry was the only person missing on the table when she arrived. She sat down beside the twins and grabbed a toast. George and Fred curtly greeted her before returning to their food.</p><p>     Soon, Harry was present at the long, empty table too. They all looked uptight. Neither of them spoke much, not even the twins, who usually never shut up.</p><p>     The Quidditch stadium was buzzing with students as eleven o'clock approached. It was a muggy day, and there were hints for an oncoming storm in the air. The Gryffindor team pulled on their scarlet robes, then sat down to listen to Oliver Wood's annual pre-match pep talk.</p><p>     A roar of noise welcomed them when they walked onto the field. Mostly were cheering since the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were eager to see Slytherin beaten. Although, the Slytherin in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too.</p><p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes. She hated the House rivalry. Sure, it was solely to support their respectable Houses in the Quidditch matches, but otherwise, it just caused a rift between the students. She'd only befriended Slytherin until coming to Hogwarts, and those people were some of the best she'd met.</p><p>     Madam Hooch, the Quidditch instructor, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did. It was awkward due to the glares they exchanged.</p><p>     "On my whistle," instructed Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one... "</p><p>     She threw the Quaffle up, and the game began.</p><p>     Alexandra soared up to catch the Quaffle, but a Slytherin Chaser caught it before her. He was remarkably fast, so much so that she couldn't even see who he was.</p><p>     The Gryffindor Chasers trailed after him to get the Quaffle out of his grasp, but it was no use. With Bludgers fired upon them, it was almost impossible to reach the Quaffle.</p><p>     "Flint has the Quaffle — passes both Bell and Black and — JOHNSON HAS THE QUAFFLE — oh, Pucey has the hold of it now — and darn it — Slytherin scores," Lee announced grumpily.</p><p>     A fuming Wood threw the Quaffle back to Angelina. Angelina passed the Quaffle back and forth with Katie while Alexandra followed them below. The Slytherin Beaters continued firing Bludgers at them, which they had a tough time avoiding. Alexandra wondered where the hell the Weasley twins were.</p><p>     They went around the pitch, left and right, to get a proper shot, but to no avail. The absence of the Gryffindor Beaters was clearly affecting the play.</p><p>     "Where the hell are the Weasleys?" yelled Katie, trying to be heard in the loud crowd once Angelina got tackled by a Bludger.</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't remember how many times the Quaffle changed its owner before she heard Lee announcing, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero —"</p><p>     Madam Hooch's whistle rang out, and Alexandra dived for the ground, dodging the last-minute Bludger sent to her way.</p><p>     She was panting alongside her fellow Chasers after trying to evade the mad Bludgers. The absence of the Beaters had made it harder for them to play.</p><p>     "What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team gathered around him. "We're getting flattened! Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring? They were almost squashed, those Chasers."</p><p>     "We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from <em>murdering </em>Harry, Oliver," said George angrily. "Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."</p><p>     "But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then... " said Wood, anxiously.</p><p>     "Listen," started Harry, "with you two flying around me all the time, the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up to my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."</p><p>     "Don't be thick," said Fred, "It'll take your head off."</p><p>     Wood was looking between Harry and the Weasley twins.</p><p>     "Oliver, don't be foolish! We can't expect Harry to deal with that <em>thing </em>on his own," argued Alexandra.</p><p>     "She's right, Oliver. We can manage a bit more without the Beaters. Let them look after him," said Angelina. Wood sent her a pointed look, recalling how <em>well </em>they did without the Beaters.</p><p>     The Gryffindor Chasers exchanged concerned looks regarding how long they could keep up without the Beaters before Katie said, "Let's ask for an inquiry —"</p><p>     "No! If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" replied Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"</p><p>     "This is all your fault," said George angrily to Wood. "<em>'Get the Snitch or die trying,'</em> what a stupid thing to tell him —"</p><p>     Madam Hooch joined them. "Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood. Alexandra hadn't realised her presence in the heat of the argument.</p><p>     "All right," he said, looking at Harry's determined face. "Fred, George, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."</p><p>     Alexandra found it absurd to leave Harry alone to deal with the bewitched Bludger. The normal ones were bad enough. How awful would a bewitched one be?</p><p>     Fred and George approached Alexandra before the match resumed. "You all right? Sorry for leaving you lads alone with the Slytherin Beaters. Must have been horrible," said George apologetically.</p><p>     "Horrible is an understatement," said Alexandra grimly, recalling the times how the Bludger almost knocked her off of her broom. "But you guys did the right thing by prioritising Harry's safety. We need the Seeker to be safe to win the match. Oliver has finally gone mad by leaving him alone."</p><p>     "Tell me about it! The poor bloke's going to get squashed," said Fred grumpily.</p><p>     The rain was heavier now, soaking the players. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Alexandra kicked hard in the air and caught the Quaffle. Katie and Angelina trailed right behind to guard her.</p><p>     They were going to score this time.</p><p>     Alexandra zigzagged between the Slytherin players and tossed the Quaffle into their goalposts.</p><p>     " — AND BLACK SCORES! IN YOUR FACE, SLYTHERINS!"</p><p>     "<em>JORDAN!</em>"</p><p>     "Sorry, Professor, caught in the moment."</p><p>     The Quaffle passed around until Harry caught the Snitch. The problem was that he was heading straight to the ground. The crowd's cries got louder as he hit the mud and rolled off of his broom.</p><p>     Alexandra rushed down to his side with the rest of the Gryffindors. Lockhart, their new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, was beside them, hovering over Harry.</p><p>     It relieved Alexandra to see him, as she, alongside half of the school, were his fans. It was as good as impossible to dislike his charming smile. Fred and George, however, found him annoying with his <em>oh-so-marvellous</em> stories. They tried to convince her that Lockhart was a big joke, but it was fruitless.</p><p>     He tried to cast a spell to mend Harry's bones, which only made it worse. Harry was sent to the Hospital Wing, and the Gryffindor team followed him once Fred and George could put the bewitched Bludger safely into a box.</p><p>     The next morning they learned that another student was petrified, a first-year named Colin Creevey. Everybody, mainly the Muggle-borns, was on edge after the news.</p><p>     Students refrained from being alone, and almost nobody dared to skip a class. <em>Almost</em>, since a particular Weasley deemed it was the perfect opportunity to skip classes.</p><p>     George thought it was a brilliant plan to skip History of Magic that day, using the chaos to his advantage. He found it boring to do it alone, thus dragged Alexandra with him.</p><p>     "Look, George, I know this class is horrible, but it isn't the time to skip a class — !"</p><p>     "Oh, c'mon! It's not like we don't already know what he's teaching, if you call that teaching, of course," said George.</p><p>     They heard Filch approaching their way, grumbling. Alexandra paled before pulling George behind a column to hide. Filch, sulkier than ever, passed by without noticing them. George snorted.</p><p>     Alexandra slapped George's arm for almost ruining their cover.</p><p>     "Merlin, sometimes I forget how loud you are," she muttered, making George laugh loudly. She slapped his arm again to silence him, and George raised his arms in mocking defeat.</p><p>     They left the hall as quietly as possible and roamed around the castle until they came across an empty classroom. Alexandra was growing tired of sneaking around, and so was George. For that, they entered the classroom to rest.</p><p>     "Fred has the map, right?" asked Alexandra.</p><p>     "Yeah, didn't think of taking it," said George, sitting down to the icy floor. He patted her to sit down as well.</p><p>     "I'm not sitting down to the floor. Might as well die of exhaustion," said Alexandra with distaste. She looked around the room to see if there was anything she could sit on. The classroom was empty besides an old-looking mirror standing at the back of it.</p><p>     Thinking that she must look horrendous, Alexandra hurried towards the mirror to fix her hair. She examined her reflection in the rusty-looking mirror, but there was a slight problem.</p><p>     Alexandra wasn't alone in the mirror.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Man on the Mirror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If there's anything Alexandra Black absolutely loves, it's ignoring her murderous father's existence.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra's head jerked back, expecting to see the mysterious man standing beside her reflection. To her surprise, there was no one except George in the room.</p><p>     George noticed her face dropping into a distressed look, and he frowned. "What's wrong?"</p><p>     "Nothing."</p><p>     She turned back to the mirror, examining it with interest. The man was still standing beside her, hands in his pockets while he grinned down at her.</p><p>     He didn't look older than his twenties and was a tall, well-built man from the look of it. His lustrous black hair curled down to his shoulders and his striking grey eyes were almost a carbon copy of hers. His posture reminded Alexandra of the ones her etiquette classes required, which gave the impression that he also had similar tutoring when he was young.</p><p>     The vestige of aristocratic beauty the man carried was eerily alike the ones passed down through the Black Family, and Alexandra couldn't help but wonder whether they were related.</p><p><em>     Obviously, dummy</em>, she thought. She was nearly a replica of the man in the mirror. The way her grey eyes shined in the autumn sun, morphing into a light blue depending on the lighting of the room; how her dark hair fell to her shoulders in waves, with hints of fizziness in it; and even the playful smirk she had — it all was <em>him!</em></p><p>     An intruder thought formed inside her head, urging Alexandra to swallow all of her worries to study the man further, thinking that this might be her only opportunity of actually seeing him.</p><p>     Sure, Alexandra had seen him, once, in the picture engraved in his room. But that was basically it. There were no genuine pictures of him, seeing as Walburga had got rid of them a while ago.</p><p>     There were a few up-to-date mugshots of him, but Alexandra preferred to dismiss them. Who would've enjoyed looking at their criminal of a father's pictures?</p><p>     It didn't matter whether Sirius Black had pictures Alexandra could store. He was dead to her.</p><p>     George placed a hand on her shoulder, ripping her away from her trance. He watched her, eyes full of worry, before glancing at the mirror.</p><p>     "It's him," whispered Alexandra, not knowing whether to be frightened or impressed. "Look, George, Sirius Black's standing right there!"</p><p>     George was thoroughly confused. How could <em>the </em>Sirius Black be inside a mirror? He was in Azkaban, for crying out loud!</p><p>     George looked back and forth between Alexandra and the mirror. "There's nothing there, Aly," he drawled.</p><p>     "Look, I know how nerve-wracking this whole Chamber of Secrets situation is but," George didn't know how to compose his sentence without calling her a lunatic. "What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't worry about him. He's locked up in Azkaban, and one does not waltz out of there."</p><p>     "I'm not mental, George! He's —" she paused, sighing heavily. What she witnessed was bizarre, even for her. How could she explain <em>that </em>to George, who apparently, couldn't even see him?</p><p>     "You know what, let's just get out of here," she muttered bitterly.</p><p>     George nodded, not knowing what to say about the situation at hand. Alexandra spared one last glance at her father before following George out of the room.</p><p>     They silently agreed to never talk about the mirror incident. Though, that didn't stop Alexandra from wondering why he was there. It simply didn't sit right with her. She knew George was right, that they locked him up in Azkaban, and there was no way for him to escape, but that didn't explain <em>why</em> his reflection was on the mirror.</p><p>     They proceeded their week on how they usually would: Alexandra running to her classes while Fred, George and Lee experimented with their new fireworks.</p><p>     Fred and George finally noticed a change in Ginny's behaviour and did their best to cheer her up. Being jumped wasn't exactly Alexandra's definition of help, but she went along to encourage their tries.</p><p>     The next morning Alexandra strolled down the Great Hall, not scowling for once, with Lee following her behind. She had two packages in her hand, which she carried delicately.</p><p>     "Good morning! Had a good rest, I trust?" asked Alexandra with a high pitched tone.</p><p>     The twins looked at each other, genuinely concerned for their friend. She seemed awfully cheery for a morning, which was so not like the Alexandra they come to know. She despised mornings, and she sure showed it with sulking the whole time.</p><p>     Alexandra didn't wait for their responses as she continued, "Excellent! Speaking of which," she handed them the boxes in her hands. "I expect you'll like them."</p><p>     Fred's eyes shined. He studied the blue box in front of him, similar to the one George had. "Oh, I love having you as my friend!"</p><p>     Alexandra and Lee glanced at each other, smirking, as they waited for the grand reveal.</p><p>     The twins lifted their gifts and untied the bow on top of it. A loud <em>bang </em>echoed once they opened their boxes, silencing the chattering in the hall.</p><p>     Students spun towards the sound, trying to figure out what just happened. Some seemed distraught, worried that it could be another attack. To their relief, it was not an attack but rather a prank.</p><p>     Fred and George's hair had turned into a bright shade of emerald, which rivalled the neon colour embodied for the Slytherins. Alexandra and Lee high-fived, laughing, as the rest of the students did.</p><p>     The look on the twin's face was priceless. They were <em>the pranksters</em>, not the ones to get pranked.</p><p>     "This calls for war," hissed George while studying his once ginger hair. "One does not prank us! <em>We prank others!</em>"</p><p>     "Traitors!" retorted Fred.</p><p>     "It's nice to see you two at the receiving end of a prank," said Angelina besides a fuming Fred.</p><p>     "I must admit, someone ought to put you two in your places. You're lucky that it was us who took the honourable duty," snickered Lee.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded, smirking, as she said, "Don't make such a fuss. Green looks dazzling on you two."</p><p>     "Yeah, I'd keep it if I were you," agreed Lee.</p><p>     Fred and George gave dirty looks at the duo as they fled the Great Hall, already plotting their revenge. In all honesty, Alexandra was quite terrified with how they'd avenge. Those two always came up with brilliant yet daunting ideas.</p><p>     It was eerily quiet in the next few days for Lee and Alexandra. Not that she complained, but it was so out of character for the twins to be ever silent. That's why their quietness was terrifying. What were they plotting?</p><p>     It started with small things here and there. The next thing they knew, Lee was going around in pink robes for a week, and Alexandra was soaking wet every time she walked out of the Gryffindor Tower.</p><p>     This little prank war within them, however, seemed to amuse the rest of the school.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>As Christmas approached, Professor McGonagall came around like usual, collecting names of those who would stay at school. Fred and George were staying with their siblings that year. Their parents were going to Romania, hence leaving the younger siblings back at school.</p><p>     Alexandra wanted to spend Christmas with the twins, but it was quite unlikely considering that Walburga required her to come back for the holidays.</p><p>     Although, that wasn't the only rather exciting thing occurring in December. Professor Lockhart was forming a Duelling Club for the students to practise their duelling skills. Thinking that it could be useful, Alexandra and her friends decided to give it a go.</p><p>     By eight o'clock, the Great Hall was packed with excited students giggling and gushing inside the hall. The long dining tables had vanished, and a golden stage had appeared along the wall.</p><p>     Professor Lockhart stepped onto the stage, looking dazzling in his deep plum robes. Alexandra heard the collective dreamy sighs the girls let out when he arrived and the groan following when Professor Snape strolled behind him, wearing his usual black.</p><p>Professor Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has permitted me to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."</p><p>     George exaggeratedly mimicked his gestures. Students around him had to cover their mouths to muffle their laughter.</p><p>     "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you, youngsters, to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"</p><p>     Alexandra noticed the way Snape was watching Lockhart, almost mockingly. Not that she feared the man, but if he ever looked at her like that, she'd have been running as far as possible. That sneer-like-smile was <em>terrifying</em>.</p><p>     Then Professor Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed. They raised their wands like swords in front of them, and Lockhart explained the procedure to the students.</p><p>     Snape fired <em>Expelliarmus </em>at Lockhart, blasting him off to the wall. Concerned gasps got heard all around the hall as Lockhart hit the wall. Lockhart got up on his feet unsteadily, his hair always perfect-looking hair now tossed.</p><p>     Once Professor Lockhart was properly up on his two feet, the two professors paired up the students. They paired George with a Fourth-Year Hufflepuff, Lee with a Ravenclaw girl, Maya with Angelina and Alexandra with Fred.</p><p>     "Face your partners!" called Lockhart, stepping back on the platform. "And bow!"</p><p>     Fred snickered as the two friends bowed. "I won't attack a girl, Black."</p><p>     "That's unfortunate because I won't hold back, Weasley," replied Alexandra, snickering like Fred.</p><p>     "Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to disarm them — we don't want any accidents — one... two... three —"</p><p>     "— <em>Expelliarmus</em>!"</p><p>     Fred's wand flew out of his grasp. He gaped at his empty hand, then at Alexandra. He was both shocked and impressed by how fast she managed to disarm him.</p><p>     "Mr Weasley," they heard Snape's unpleasant voice. "Your opponent won't show mercy while duelling. I urge you to stop gawking like a duck and get a hold of your wand."</p><p>     Fred looked as if he was refraining from rolling his eyes as he got a hold of his wand. He raised his wand to strike, but Snape's booming voice interrupted him again.</p><p>     He and Lockhart gathered the students to teach them how to block spells, seeing as almost none knew how to do so. They picked Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy to demonstrate how to block unfriendly spells.</p><p>     Snape moved closer to Draco and whispered something in his ear. Draco smirked widely, while Harry looked troubled. Lockhart whispered something which worsened Harry's troubled expression.</p><p>     Lockhart motioned them to start the duel. Alexandra wondered why second-year students got chosen for the demonstration instead of older students with more experience.</p><p>     A ghasting snake shot out of Draco's wand. Some students screamed as they backed away from the duo. Alexandra gasped as the snake poised to strike toward Justin Finch-Fletchley, a second-year Hufflepuff.</p><p>     Harry whispered — no, he <em>hissed </em>like a serpent which stopped the snake on its tracks. Alexandra's eyes widened, realising that it was no hiss. He had spoken in <em>Parseltongue</em>. Harry Potter was a Parselmouth.</p><p>     "What do you think you're playing at?" Justin shouted before storming out of the hall, looking quite terrified.</p><p>     Alexandra turned to Fred, who was standing beside her, both startled by the sudden revelation.</p><p>     "Harry Potter is the Heir of Slytherin," Alexandra managed to mutter after a long silence.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Kreacher the House Elf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everybody in Grimmauld Place acts strange, including the old house-elf.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a filler chapter that bridges Chapter 8 to Chapter 10.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the initial George and Fred took the whole <em>Potter-is-the-heir</em> incident lightly. They found it amusing that people believed a boy like Harry could hurt others.</p>
<p>     So much so that they changed their routes to march ahead of Harry Potter down the halls, yelling, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."</p>
<p>     Once the winter holidays finally rolled around, almost everybody was heading home. The tension was high in the Hogwarts castle, and seemingly, none wanted to stay at school and risk getting attacked.</p>
<p>     The night before departure, Draco was able to catch Alexandra alone on the Gryffindor table. Once he swallowed his pride, he approached the Gryffindor table reluctantly.</p>
<p>     "Can we, uh, talk?" asked Draco, fixing his gaze on his cousin. He wanted to make things right with her before the break.</p>
<p>     Alexandra held back a groan. She didn't want to deal with her cousin. She was still sour to Draco after the night he insulted her friends.</p>
<p>     But seeing Draco in front of the Gryffindor table certainly was a first. Alexandra knew she was the only Gryffindor he associated with himself if taunting Harry and his friends didn't count.</p>
<p>     Thinking that it was better than nothing, Alexandra said, "Well, make it quick."</p>
<p>     Draco visibly relaxed. "I think we should stop ignoring each others' presence."</p>
<p>     Alexandra's lips twitched up ever so lightly. "Correct me if I'm mistaken, but," she began. "Is this your way of apologising?"</p>
<p>     "Why should I be apologising? I stand by my words. Weasleys have affected you negatively." he snapped.</p>
<p>     After a short glaring match between the cousins, Draco sighed, defeated, and muttered an apology.</p>
<p>     "Fine, whatever! But I'm telling you, Weasleys aren't the type of people we associate with," said Draco.</p>
<p>     "Let that be my burden, Draco. Besides, they are not <em>that </em>bad. You'd see it for yourself if you stopped taunting them."</p>
<p>     Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever."</p>
<p>     "Oh, speaking of which, will you be joining us on Christmas?" asked Alexandra, switching the subject to prevent any more arguments. It was always nice to have the Malfoys for dinner. More specifically, Draco and Narcissa.</p>
<p>     Draco shook his head. "No, I'm staying back in Hogwarts."</p>
<p>     His reply confused Alexandra. Why would Lucius Malfoy leave his son at Hogwarts? More importantly, how did he convince Narcissa to let Draco stay back in Hogwarts?</p>
<p>     The next morning, Alexandra and Maya were yet again almost late to the Hogwarts Express, thus failing to find an empty compartment to themselves.</p>
<p>     Once they finally got convinced that there was no hope of finding an empty one, they began looking for a compartment with their friends present.</p>
<p>     "Oi, Aly," called Maya. "Let's join Alicia and Angelina."</p>
<p>     Alexandra didn't get time to object since Maya had already slid open the compartment's door, patiently waiting for Alexandra. How come Maya convinced them in such a short time? Alexandra thought they disliked her.</p>
<p>     "Nice to see you guys," Angelina smiled. She looked genuine, which helped to ease Alexandra's raging nerves.</p>
<p>     "Yeah," said Alicia. "Can't believe that you're late."</p>
<p>     Alexandra sat down beside Maya, a sheepish grin appearing on her face. She had overslept again, which had caused them to be late once more.</p>
<p>     "Er, yeah. I might have overslept."</p>
<p>     "Again?" said Alicia, a hint of mockery in her tone.</p>
<p>     "Again."</p>
<p>     Alicia barked a laugh at Alexandra's response, making the already unnerved girl far more worried. "Next time, I'll be the one to drag you out of bed."</p>
<p>     Alexandra let out a relieved sigh. Perhaps Alicia didn't thoroughly dislike her, and the train ride wouldn't be a disappointment.</p>
<p>     The four Gryffindors soon eased into a chatter, laughing and joking around. Alexandra's tense muscles relaxed as the time went on, and she found herself enjoying the company of Alicia and Angelina.</p>
<p>     They exchanged goodbyes before departing the train. Alexandra carried her belongings to where she found the Black matriarch.</p>
<p>     Kreacher wasn't present that day, leaving Alexandra to carry her trunk. She didn't mind it much, not after spending almost four years in Hogwarts, doing her chores without the constant aid of a house-elf.</p>
<p>     Kreacher served not only as a domestic provider for Alexandra. They had an emotional bond, one quite similar to a child who grew up with the same long-time caregiver.</p>
<p>     Alexandra had grown to care for the elf, treating him more than just a servant. That had provoked Kreacher to treat her nicely, too, thus forming a bond similar to the one he had with Regulus Black, her late uncle.</p>
<p>     Walburga was scowling like usual, studying the sorcerers present on the King's Cross Station, judging them by their appearance, finding them unworthy of her time, then repeating it.</p>
<p>     Upon seeing Alexandra, Walburga wasted no time with leaving the train station.</p>
<p>     Alexandra wondered whether she would be as vigorous as Walburga once she reached her age.</p>
<p>     Probably not.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>12 Grimmauld Place was no different from how Alexandra left it back in September; dark and desolated.</p>
<p>     She rushed up to her room with Vela in her arms. It had taken weeks of pleading to convince Walburga to get her a cat. Alexandra remembered it vividly, the day Walburga took her to Magical Menagerie.</p>
<p>     To say excited was an understatement to define how Alexandra felt once they entered the noisy shop. Walburga seemed displeased, grimacing from the hideous smell caused by the various animals present in the shop.</p>
<p>     Joy had rippled through Alexandra as she skipped around the cages, trying to savour every minute of standing inside the shop in case it all turned out to be a dream, that is until she came across a cat with pure white fur. Its gleaming green eyes were curiously studying the joyous young girl.</p>
<p>     Perhaps her soft fur and calm demeanour had deemed the cat worthy in Walburga's eyes. Either way, Walburga agreed to get the cat.</p>
<p>     Alexandra had never been that happy before. The day itself had felt like a fever dream that Alexandra had forced Kreacher to check her temperature before going to bed.</p>
<p>     Alexandra placed Vela onto her bed, then filled her empty bowls near the door of her bedroom. Once finished, she grabbed a book from her nightstand and laid down on her bed beside her cat.</p>
<p>     After a while, Kreacher knocked on her door, wearing his sulky expression.</p>
<p>     "Kreacher is here to inform Mistress' absence for dinner. Mistress will be back by tomorrow."</p>
<p>     Alexandra furrowed her brows, placed her book down, and slightly lifted herself off the bed to have a better look at Kreacher. Walburga rarely, if ever, left that late into the evening. What was so urgent that she needed to travel on the night of Alexandra's arrival?</p>
<p>     "Do you know where she went?"</p>
<p>     "Kreacher doesn't know but has prepared dinner for Young Mistress," replied Kreacher.</p>
<p>     "Well, then, thank you. I'm starving!"</p>
<p>     They headed down to the dining room, where dinner awaited Alexandra. She noticed that there were more chocolate puddings than usual, which certainly was Kreacher's doing.</p>
<p>     "OH, I LOVE CHOCOLATE PUDDING!" she beamed before pausing and clearing her throat. "I meant, thank you, I do enjoy a good chocolate pudding."</p>
<p>     Alexandra sat down at the long table excitedly. Eating alone felt rather odd after the crowd in Hogwarts. Though, she was all right with it. This way, she got to eat more puddings.</p>
<p>     After finishing her food, Kreacher came to pick up her empty plates.</p>
<p>     "How has been the school for Young Mistress?" asked Kreacher, like how he did ever since Alexandra began Hogwarts.</p>
<p>     Alexandra had to admit it was a bit out of character for him. Sure, he was loyal to the House of Black, but he was still a distant elf.</p>
<p>     "It has been all right for me, though, I cannot say the same for everyone. Something has been attacking students at school, a monster that the Heir of Slytherin freed, apparently," said Alexandra gloomily, recalling the events of the past months.</p>
<p>     She noticed that the colour had drained from Kreacher's face. Kreacher froze, almost dropping the plates in his hands. Alexandra frowned upon seeing his expression.</p>
<p>     "May Kreacher be excused for the night?" asked Kreacher hastily.</p>
<p>     "Er — sure, I guess," said Alexandra, finding the situation quite odd.</p>
<p>     Kreacher bowed curtly before disappearing. Alexandra studied where he stood minutes ago. Then, she shrugged, reasoning that Kreacher was simply a weird elf.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Walburga and the Heir of Slytherin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>TW: Some mature language and mentions of death. Nothing too major.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Christmas holidays went by smoothly. Alexandra had spent most of her days in the Black library, trying to catch up with her work.</p><p>     Apparently, fourth-year meant thinking about her OWLs, and her OWLs involved <em>a ton of work</em>.</p><p>     She was positive that most of her peers didn't have to jump headfirst into their studies in their fourth-year, considering that they took a reasonable amount of classes.</p><p>     Alexandra didn't struggle with school much, but the sheer amount of work she got assigned. It was getting harder to juggle that many courses while maintaining a social life.</p><p>     As Alexandra was doing yet another essay, Kreacher entered the library, carrying what seemed to be an envelope.</p><p>     Alexandra tilted her head up from her Transfiguration essay at the sound of Kreacher's hurried footsteps echoing from the marble floor.</p><p>     "What is it, Kreacher?" asked Alexandra, diverting her attention to the envelope in the house-elf's hand.</p><p>     "An owl dropped this for Young Mistress," replied Kreacher, handing it to Alexandra.</p><p>     Alexandra flipped the envelope, only to see a dragon crest embodied on it. A small, delighted grin emerged on her lips at the sight of the now-familiar Avery Family crest, and she immediately figured who's letter it was.</p><p>     "Will that be it?" said Alexandra, not tearing her eyes off the crest.</p><p>     "Yes, Young Mistress."</p><p>     "Very well, then, thank you."</p><p>     Kreacher bowed before departing the library, leaving Alexandra to see what Cassius sent her.</p><p>     Carefully, she opened the envelope and grabbed the letter inside.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dearest Euphe<span class="u">mia</span>,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I hope this letter reaches you and you only for reasons you'll see as you proceed to read this letter. If you're not Miss Black, then drop this letter at once.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Now that <span class="u">Mia</span> is reading this, I would respectfully request you to check the postcard inside the envelope. I expect you'll enjoy it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yours truly,</em><br/>
<em>Cassius Avery</em>
</p><p> </p><p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes at the indicated 'Mia's on the letter. She hated how Cassius was persistent in calling her Euphemia and not Alexandra, the way she liked it. </p><p>     Without wasting further time, Alexandra placed the letter down to take the said postcard from the envelope. Cautiously, she took out a scarlet card, and couldn't help but wonder, how come she didn't notice it before?</p><p>     She leaned closer to the enchanted card, and a bark of laughter escaped her lips at the sight of the moving words.</p><p>
  <em>Have a Corkingly Good Year!</em><br/>
<em>Have a Good Cock-ing Year!</em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It struck Alexandra that Walburga may have heard about the Chamber of Secrets by the time Christmas came to an end. Perhaps Walburga could tell her about the mysterious attacks.</p><p>     It was a fat chance, but a chance, either way.</p><p>     "Grandmother, I have a question," Alexandra blurted out at the dinner before departure.</p><p>     Walburga turned her attention to her granddaughter. "I'm all ears."</p><p>     "Say, if you were to know about any <em>Chamber of Secrets</em>... would you tell me?" Alexandra tested the waters to see whether Walburga knew about the attacks or not.</p><p>     "This is about the attacks in Hogwarts, right? I knew I should have sent you to Durmstrang, where all is pure," said Walburga grimly, regretting the day Alexandra went to Hogwarts, where she got sorted to Gryffindor.</p><p>     "You know about the attacks? That some students got petrified?" asked Alexandra.</p><p>     "I do, and I have heard of that Chamber, one that Salazar Slytherin left at Hogwarts to cleanse the filth."</p><p>     Alexandra cringed when Walburga regarded Muggle-borns as filth but couldn't bring herself to object. Not then, at least. She needed to hear out what Walburga knew.</p><p>     "You know, there were similar attacks back in my time in Hogwarts, too," said Walburga causally.</p><p>     "Wait, WHAT?" shrieked Alexandra, which earned her a glare from Walburga.</p><p>     "Don't you raise your voice at me, Alexandra! And restrain your sudden outbursts at once — it's not fit for a Black!"</p><p>     "I apologise, Grandmother," she muttered. "May I ask, what happened in those attacks?"</p><p>     Walburga recalled the events at Hogwarts in her time. "I was in my last year back then, when the attacks started. I can't recall the details but, know this; last time the Chamber got opened, a Mudblood got <em>killed</em>. Good riddance, that was. Shame that it was only one."</p><p>     Alexandra's eyes widened. Her hands slightly trembled once she grasped her grandmother's tale, which almost resulted in Alexandra dropping the fork she held. Swallowing hard, Alexandra wondered how one could be so cruel to wish death upon someone else.</p><p>     "It's believed that Slytherin's heir opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Alexandra, her voice coming out shaky.</p><p>     Walburga's eyes widened, too, yet there was a manic look on her face. "<em>The</em> Heir of Slytherin?" she repeated. "You <em>must </em>befriend whoever that is!"</p><p>     Alexandra frowned as she said, "We believe that the heir is <em>Harry Potter</em>."</p><p>     Alexandra had never seen someone scrunch their nose so fast. "<em>Potter</em>? As in Harry Potter,<em> the Boy Who Lived</em>?" asked Walburga, sounding disgusted.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded.</p><p>     "I take it back, do <em>not </em>befriend that Potter scum!"</p><p>     Walburga remembered the time when all Sirius would talk about was <em>James Potter, </em>the Mudblood lover.</p><p>     Walburga returned to her food after her granddaughter's silence.</p><p>     "<em>Whatiftheyarenotasbadaswemakethembe</em>?"</p><p>     Walburga let out an irritated sigh as she turned to Alexandra again.</p><p>     "Speak clearly, Alexandra!" she scolded.</p><p>     Alexandra's heart was throbbing against her chest as she hesitantly repeated herself, "What if they are not as bad as we make them be?"</p><p>     Walburga narrowed her eyes. "Who are we speaking of again?"</p><p>     Alexandra had never been that frightened in her life. She didn't know whether she had the strength to face Walburga's prejudices.</p><p>     "Nothing. It was irrational."</p><p>     Walburga eyed her warily before proceeding on eating. Alexandra stayed quiet for the rest of the evening, ashamed that she couldn't voice her opinions.</p><p>     She excused herself from the table to double-check her trunk. Once she reached her room, she threw herself to her bed, burying her face into her pillow.</p><p>     Alexandra was thoroughly confused about how Walburga could shun the Muggle-borns. The ones she met were remarkable. How could she ridicule Half-bloods and Muggle-borns while they outshined the pitiful Purebloods in Hogwarts?</p><p>     "Ugh! Why am I such a coward!" Alexandra groaned into her pillow. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Unexpected Declaration of Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With the season of lovers comes an undesired surprise.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra told Maya whatshe learnedfrom Walburga. Which wasn't much if they dismissed that <em>whatever </em>rested in the castle could kill students.</p><p>     She considered telling Fred and George the pesky truth regarding the Chamber of Secrets. But they didn't particularly like Slytherins, and it worried her that the revelation would increase their hatred.</p><p>     All her childhood friends <em>were</em> Slytherins. Adrian, by far, was one of the best people she knew, and she didn't wish to end up choosing between them.</p><p>     Rumours were flying around that Hermione Granger got petrified, too. No one had seen her for the past few days, and those who did claimed that she was in the Hospital Wing, a long curtain covering her up.</p><p>     When Alexandra mentioned this to the twins, they laughed it off and told her she was all right.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>     With February came Valentines Day. Students were ecstatic over the upcoming day, trying to secure themselves a partner to spend the day.</p><p>     For Alexandra, however, the end of January held a whole another meaning. Her birthday. Many would celebrate their birthday with joy, but not her.</p><p>     The Blacks didn't <em>do </em>birthdays. They simply didn't believe in it. Celebration of something as trivial as a child seemed pointless. Therefore, birthdays didn't hold a significant value for her until coming to Hogwarts.</p><p>     It was startling for Alexandra when her friends brought up her birthday. In years, they presumed she didn't particularly enjoy it, unlike the twins, who caused havoc on theirs'.</p><p>     But the twins were having none of it. That's why, on the frosty evening of January, three Hogwarts students snuck out to Hogsmeade.</p><p>     Clutching tightly to their cloaks, they headed to the Three Broomsticks Inn.</p><p>     Madam Rosmerta, the landlady, didn't seem shocked to have them. After all, Fred and George were infamous for rule-breaking.</p><p>     After curtly flirting with the landlady, the twins guided Alexandra to a table at the back of the pub, far from the frosty wind entering through the front door.</p><p>     "Well, lads, I believe congratulations are in order. Our very own Heiress Black is now," George paused, looking thoughtful. "How old are you again, love?"</p><p>     "Ha ha, hilarious, George," said Alexandra dryly, making the boys laugh.</p><p>     Madam Rosmerta approached their table. "What brings you three here?"</p><p>     "Today's our friend's birthday. We're here to celebrate it over a Butterbeer," responded Fred.</p><p>     Madam Rosmerta nodded and headed back to bring them their drinks.</p><p>     "That went well," remarked Fred, somewhat surprised.</p><p>     "What did you expect, Fred? Her to drag us back to Hogwarts by our ears?" said Alexandra, a grin appearing on her face.</p><p>     "Dunno, maybe?" he shrugged.</p><p>     Soon, Madam Rosmerta arrived with their Butterbeer. The Gryffindors joked and laughed while sipping their drinks.</p><p>     "We should head back before Honeydukes closes," said George, standing up from his seat. Fred and Alexandra followed his suit.</p><p>     Fred and George jumped in front of her before Alexandra could take out her gold to pay for their Butterbeer.</p><p>     "Woah, woah, what are you doing?" asked George.</p><p>     "Paying for the Butterbeers," said Alexandra.</p><p>     "Nope, it's our treat," stated Fred, crossing his arms.</p><p>     "Let me pay for mine, at least — !"</p><p>     George had already gone to pay for their drinks. When he came back, he was expecting to get scolded by Alexandra. Surprisingly, she just sighed and thanked him.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Alexandra had seen many surprising things in her time in Hogwarts.</p><p>     In her first year, a Hufflepuff had blown up her Laughing Potion, causing the students to giggle the entire day.</p><p>     And last year, her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher turned out to be You-Know-Who.</p><p>     But what she saw at breakfast on February fourteenth was something <em>else</em>. When she entered the Great Hall, she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.</p><p>     The walls were covered with large pink flowers while heart-shaped confetti fell from the pale blue ceiling to the grossed-out students.</p><p>     Snorting to herself, Alexandra went over to the Gryffindor table, where the twins seemed to be enjoying the chaos inside the hall.</p><p>     "Who's the genius behind the decorations?" asked Alexandra as she sat down.</p><p>     George pointed at Professor Lockhart, who was wearing matching robes to the hall's decor.</p><p>     "Happy Valentine's Day!" shouted Professor Lockhart. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all — and it doesn't end here!"</p><p>     Fred turned to Alexandra, wrinkling his nose, "For the love of Merlin, please tell me you weren't one of <em>them</em>, were you?"</p><p>      "Of course not! I have a name to live up to, Fred. I'm not that low," she said with a mocking grin.</p><p>     Lockhart clapped his hands, and through the doors marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs, wearing golden wings and holding harps.</p><p>     He explained that the dwarfs would be moving around the castle, carrying cards to students. Then, he revealed some quite humiliating stories about the teachers.</p><p>     Professor Flitwick buried his face to his hands while Snape looked murderous once Lockhart's speech ended, making the twins cackle.</p><p>     Much to the frustration of the teachers, the dwarfs barged into classes the entire day.</p><p>     Sadly, Alexandra had received her fair share of the weird-looking dwarf delivery. It horrified her to receive a musical delivery in the middle of the Potions class.</p><p>     The dwarf kicked the door open and entered. The dwarf roamed around the room until he spotted Alexandra. All the students watched the dwarf curiously.</p><p>     "Alexandra Black, you are? I've got a musical message for ya,"</p><p>     "What if I don't want to hear it?" Alexandra inquired, hoping that the dwarf would save her from embarrassment.</p><p>     But he didn't. Instead, he cleared his throat and twanged his harp threateningly.</p><p>     "Wait — <em>no</em>! I'm ordering you to st— "</p><p>     "Right then," he interrupted, "Here's your musical valentine:</p><p><em>Your eyes are as pale as the sky,</em><br/>
<em>Oh, how I wish you could be mine</em><em>.</em><br/>
<em>A thousand miles I would fly,</em><br/>
<em>Just to see your smile one last time.</em>"</p><p>     The class roared with laughter, and she tried to laugh along to reduce her shame. If she went along, perhaps they wouldn't take it seriously.</p><p>     She was sure that her cheeks had heated by now. She silently hoped that they were warm enough to evaporate her. Then maybe she wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment.</p><p>     She wondered <em>who in their right mind</em> would send something like that. No wonder it was unsigned.</p><p>     An overly annoyed Snape kicked the dwarf out, and Alexandra wondered why he didn't do it earlier. Why did Snape wish to see her get humiliated?</p><p>     Alexandra was relieved for not receiving anything else that day. Once her lessons were over, she bolted down to the library to spend the evening. She planned on retreating to the common room late to avoid the students who heard the ridiculous song.</p><p>     Much to her frustration, Madam Pince had shooed her out earlier than she intended to.</p><p>     When she arrived at the Gryffindor Tower, Fred and George jumped on her and sang the musical valentine.</p><p>     Huffing, Alexandra relaxed down to the squashy armchairs as the twins got louder.</p><p>     "I'll hex both of you if you don't shut up," she snarled.</p><p>     "Why? Didn't you enjoy it, Aly?" asked Fred with a smirk.</p><p>     "Don't let the poor guy hear you — or gal. We don't judge," teased George.</p><p>     "What? No! That's not what I meant! I — hang on," she paused, remembering how Fred and George <em>overly </em>enjoyed the incident. "IT WAS THE TWO OF YOU, WASN'T IT?!"</p><p>     Fred and George took a step back from the furious girl.</p><p>     "It was just a prank. We were trying to get back at you for pranking us— " Fred tried to reason.</p><p>     " — AND YOU THOUGHT OF SENDING ME A LOVE LETTER FOR PUBLICITY HUMILIATION?"</p><p>     Alexandra recalled the day when she and Lee pranked the twins in the Great Hall. She had pranked them publicly too. It was only fair for them to do so, now to think of it.</p><p>     "Keep it quiet, you three," hissed a seventh-year studying in the common room.</p><p>     Alexandra sank into her seat from embarrassment. <em>Twice in a day</em>, she thought, <em>way to go, Alexandra</em>.</p><p>     "You have an awful temper, Black," said Fred gently as he sat beside her.</p><p>     "Yeah, and we're very sorry," George sat to her other side, giving her a sincere smile.</p><p>     Alexandra lifted her head to study George's warm smile. She wished it was warmer, <em>brighter</em>. Then, his smile could blind her for real and save her from glancing at the seventh-year.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alexandra birth date is at the end of January, which I hope gives you a rough idea of her.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Short Trip to Hogsmeade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alexandra Black and Lee Jordan sneak out to Hogsmeade on the last peaceful days in Hogwarts.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If there's anything the twins don't forget, it is to prank.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lee and Alexandra searched for Filch on the Marauder's Map to make sure they didn't come across him.</p><p>     "The coast is clear," declared Lee joyfully.</p><p>     Alexandra nodded, and they headed to the fourth corridor, where rested a mirror that had a secret passage to Hogsmeade.</p><p>     Lee forced the mirror to open, but to no avail. He groaned bitterly and turned back to Alexandra.</p><p>     "I think it's blocked."</p><p>     "But how? I thought it was only us who knew of it."</p><p>     Lee shrugged defeatedly. Alexandra cursed her luck and took out the old parchment.</p><p>     "<em>I solemnly swear that I am up to no good</em>." she tapped on the map. Ink-like lines spread all over the worn-out parchment, forming the Hogwarts grounds.</p><p>     They scanned over the map until Alexandra pointed toward the passage beneath the one-eyed witch statue.</p><p>     "Let's just use this one."</p><p>     "Fine by me," agreed Lee.</p><p>     They trailed towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Upon arrival, Alexandra took out her wand and tapped on the statue's hump.</p><p>     "<em>Dissendium</em>," she articulated.</p><p>     The statue opened, revealing the quick slide that led to the tunnel. Alexandra and Lee went down the slide one by one.</p><p>     "I hope they'll drop the whole revenge-pranks after this," said Alexandra bitterly.</p><p>     "I know they will. If there's anything those two love more than pranking, it's receiving gifts," assured Lee.</p><p>     Lee and Alexandra pranked the twins before the Christmas break, just for the hell of it. Because of that, they were getting pranked restlessly by the twins under the phrase <em>'repayment'.</em></p><p>     After the musical valentine incident, the twins were relatively kinder to Alexandra, but Lee wasn't as fortunate.</p><p>     Alexandra and Lee concluded that if they gave the twins a likeable apology gift, they might stop their restless pranks. They weren't sure whether it would work, but it was worth a shot.</p><p>     After a long, tiring walk, they reached Honeydukes cellar. The scent of sweets felt like bliss after the tunnel to Honeydukes.</p><p>     They filled their bags with various sweets and chocolates. Perhaps a little more than necessary.</p><p>     "I'm going to have a look at the Chocolate Cauldrons," she announced before departing to the other side of the shop.</p><p>     Alexandra Black was sure of one thing in her life; she absolutely adored chocolates. Walburga was strict with the number of sweets one consumed, but that didn't stop Alexandra from cherishing them.</p><p>     She was marvelling upon the shelves when she bumped into someone.</p><p>     "Oh, my apologies, sir,"</p><p>     The man bent down to pick up the sweets he dropped.</p><p>     Alexandra gasped lightly, "Oh my... Let me get you new ones, sir. That's the least I can do."</p><p>     He straightened himself and seemed like he was holding back some colourful words.</p><p>     His grey eyes slightly widened when he faced her but he recomposed himself just as fast. Or so Alexandra thought. She wasn't sure, though. She probably missaw it.</p><p>     "Not to worry, I wasn't careful myself."</p><p>     Alexandra reluctantly nodded, not wanting to push him. The man was kind enough already by not accepting her offer.</p><p>     She grabbed a handful of Chocolate Cauldrons and went back to where Lee was. Next, they visited Zonko's to supply themselves with pranking items. It was more Lee who gaped at them.</p><p>     The sun was setting by the time they finished. Not wishing to be late to dinner, they bolted back to Honeydukes.</p><p>     After a tiring walk, they reached the statue and climbed back up. Alexandra took out the Marauder's Map to locate the twins.</p><p>     "They're in the common room," she pointed to the Gryffindor Tower on the map.</p><p>     "All right, let's catch 'em before they head down to dinner."</p><p>     They ran up to the stairs that led to the Fat Lady's portrait. "Wattlebird," declared Lee. The painting swung open, and two friends got inside with high hopes.</p><p>     "Oi, Weasleys!" called Lee.</p><p>     Fred and George turned around to face their friends. They had wondered where they were the entire day. It was as if they'd vanished.</p><p>     "Sneaking out without us, eh?" George shook his head, looking disappointed.</p><p>     Lee looked down at the sweets they brought. "It was for a good cause."</p><p>     He handed the sweets to the twins, "Take this as our apology for the prank."</p><p>     The twins exchanged glances before taking them warily, not wishing to get pranked once more.</p><p>     "Wait," Alexandra stopped the boys from eating the sweets, "We can eat them after practice. Let's go down to dinner now."</p><p>     "Who are you, our Mum?" retorted Fred irritatedly.</p><p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes then seized back the sweets, "I do feel like your mother sometimes, you literal children."</p><p>     They grumbled as Alexandra dragged them to dinner. It wasn't the dinner that annoyed the boys but that they had to rush to Oliver Wood's restless evening practices. He was training them harder for the Hufflepuff match next week.</p><p>     "I wish we had something that made one appear sick to avoid Wood's tortures," complained George.</p><p>     Alexandra chuckled at George's dramatic behaviour. "Let me know if you ever come across something as such. Might come off handy."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. New Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The threat of Slytherin's monster display becomes unavoidable.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next week came sooner than anticipated.</p><p>     "Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there. You need a decent breakfast."</p><p>     Everybody was thrilled over the upcoming match. There hadn't been any attacks, and things seemed to be looking up. The soon-to-be-played-match was the perfect opportunity to bring Hogwarts back to how it was.</p><p>     Alexandra headed down the locker room while joking around with the twins. She wondered what could go wrong as she pulled on her scarlet robes. All the conflict regarding the Chamber of Secrets seemed non-existent.</p><p>     "Let's win this match!" said Wood vigorously.</p><p>     The teams walked onto the field to intense applause. The Gryffindor Chasers reviewed their tactics as Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight to the goalposts.</p><p>     The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, stood in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of their game plan.</p><p>     George and Fred patted Alexandra's back and reminded her to kick some Hufflepuff arse before mounting off their brooms for a warm-up flight like Oliver.</p><p>     Alexandra was sure that by tonight they'd be celebrating their victory over a grand party in the Gryffindor Tower. However, the universe just <em>loved </em>proving her wrong every chance it got.</p><p>     Her high hopes came crashing down as Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House, marched into the pitch. She carried a huge purple megaphone with her.</p><p>     "This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium.</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't believe her ears. What could've cancelled a Quidditch match?</p><p>     Oliver Wood looked ravaged. He landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without even bothering to get off his broomstick.</p><p>     "But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play — the Cup — <em>Gryffindor </em>—"</p><p>     Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone. "All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"</p><p>     Then, she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her.</p><p>     Alexandra landed beside the twins. She would've made fun of their now completely wind-tossed hair, but their furrowed eyebrows and the missing grins on their faces was enough to indicate that it was not the time.</p><p>     "Do you think..." Fred couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.</p><p>     "I hope not," said George morosely.</p><p>     Alexandra paled up, remembering the things Walburga told her. The Chamber of Secrets had <em>killed </em>someone before. What if it did again? What if someone got killed, and that was why they had to return to their common rooms for absolute safety?</p><p>     "She seemed shaken," Alexandra remarked heavily. "What if someone died?"</p><p>     Fred and George's eyes widened.</p><p>     "<em>Died</em>?" repeated George. If he was worried before, this was nothing in comparison.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence.</p><p>     "All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."</p><p>     She rolled up the parchment from which she read the newly established rules and expressed in a choked voice that the school would likely be closed unless the culprit behind the attacks got caught.</p><p>     Professor McGonagall climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately.</p><p>     "That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff," said Lee, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? <em>The Heir of Slytherin</em>, the monster of <em>Slytherin </em>— why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.</p><p>     Alexandra looked down. Lee was somewhat right. In a way, it all connected back to Slytherins.</p><p>     But, kicking out <em>all</em> the Slytherins? Now that wasn't fair. She wanted to argue with Lee that <em>not all Slytherins are bad, </em>but it was futile. At least for the time being.</p><p>     George nudged her side gently when he caught her troubled expression. "Hey, don't give me that look. It'll all work itself out. Dumbledore will find a way."</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't hold back a scoff. "Yeah, he did a great job last time that the culprit came back."</p><p>     "Hold on," George gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean by <em>last time</em>?"</p><p>     She pinched the bridge of her nose, regretting not telling him earlier. She got up from her seat and beckoned him to follow.</p><p>     "I apologise for not telling this earlier," said Alexandra once they reached the empty side of the common room. "And for dragging you back here. I didn't wish to break this to you in public."</p><p>     George nodded slowly, curious about what she was hiding. Alexandra sighed, then explained everything from the previous attacks to the death of the Muggle-born. He gawked while he listened, trying to process the new information.</p><p>     So much for expecting a peaceful year.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alexandra and Maya discover that attempting to repair an object may have consequences.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Summer began to settle over the grounds, replacing the depressing grey with bright periwinkle and green.</p><p>     However, the brilliant blue sky and joyous, newly-bloomed flowers weren't enough to lift Hogwarts' spirit. It seemed like the radiant summer sun faltered to enter through Hogwarts' thick walls, and it certainly reflected on the students.</p><p>     The confusion inside the castle led to uncertainty, and the uncertainty led to fear. After all, vagueness was the simplest form of fear, and people feared what they couldn't predict.</p><p>     The fear was so great that even the ones who bragged about their pure blood seemed tense. Any laughter, even a simple smile, appeared unnatural.</p><p>     It bothered Alexandra that they had to move around in groups. Under constant watch. It made her feel like a mindless sheep who drifted in this great layout.</p><p>     So she dug deeper into her books, separating herself from the painful reality. At that stage, she didn't mind what she read. Even rereading her school textbooks gave her some satisfaction.</p><p>     Whatever that kept her busy was more than enough.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Maya and Alexandra sat in their dormitory, studying for their End of Year exams. The common room became exceptionally crowded now that they had to remain inside. And for that, some students preferred to reside in their respective dorms, avoiding the commotion.</p><p>     "All right, next up is the Summoning Charm," said Alexandra.</p><p>     Maya nodded and flicked her wand. "<em>Accio hair tie</em>!"</p><p>     A black hair tie flew from Maya's bedside. She caught it and smiled victoriously at her friend.</p><p>     Maya tried to put her unruly hair into a ponytail, but her hair tie ripped off.</p><p>     "<em>Ouch</em>!" she yelped as the tie hit her hand. "This is the third one this month! Honestly, I'm <em>this </em>close to buying Sleekeazy's Hair Potion."</p><p>     "Don't be like that. Your hair isn't <em>that </em>bad." Alexandra grinned.</p><p>     "Right, tell that to my broken hair ties and brushes," replied Maya, her face converting into a look of shame and disgust.</p><p>     Alexandra snorted at her friend's expression.</p><p>     Maya slapped her arm. "Don't laugh! It's not funny!"</p><p>     "But your expression is!"</p><p>     "Oh, sod off, Alexandra," Maya grumbled.</p><p>     She closed the Charms book on Alexandra's lap. "We've studied enough. The exams are next week. We've got plenty of time to study while being cooped up here."</p><p>     "Perhaps we should revise Potions before —"</p><p>     "NOPE!"</p><p>     "Fine! You're the one who's responsible if we fail."</p><p>     "Stop being dramatic! You and I both know that you'll pass with flying colours," retorted Maya. "Now, use your smart arse for something useful. D'you reckon we could repair a hair tie with the Mending Charm?"</p><p>     "Oh, I'm not sure. It's worth a try?"</p><p>     Maya took out her wand and pointed at her ripped hair tie. "<em>Reparo</em>!"</p><p>     The hair tie flashed blindingly, forcing the girls to cover their eyes and look away.</p><p>     "<em>FINITE</em>!" yelled Maya in an attempt to reverse the blinding light.</p><p>     They opened their eyes a few minutes later, adjusting to the dorm's natural lighting.</p><p>     "What just happened?" muttered Alexandra.</p><p>     "I don't know. I think I got the hand movement wrong," replied Maya shakily.</p><p>     Alexandra stretched her arm to her nightstand. There, she grabbed her hair tie and handed it to Maya.</p><p>     "Here, you can have mine. Let's try to not blow up the tower."</p><p>     Maya stared at her friend thankfully. "Perhaps braiding my hair would prevent them from ripping. Could you braid my hair? You know how I suck at braiding my hair."</p><p>     "Sure thing!" Alexandra grinned and motioned her friend to turn around.</p><p>     Alexandra had a hard time parting her friend's bushy hair. Maya winced a few times as her knotted hair forced Alexandra to pull to divide it.</p><p>     She braided Maya's hair as well as she could. She patted her shoulder when she finished.</p><p>     "At second thought, perhaps you <em>should </em>get Sleekeazy's Hair Potion," said Alexandra.</p><p>     "Hey — !" Maya was cut short by the roar of noise coming from the common room.</p><p>     Maya's head snapped back to Alexandra. "What was that?!"</p><p>     They shared concerned looks before rushing down the stairs to the common room, expecting the worst.</p><p>     Students inside were bombarding their Head of House with questions, and it visibly made the woman more anxious.</p><p>     "Silence," called Professor McGonagall, quieting the Gryffindors. Alexandra and Maya stood in front of the staircase, carefully listening to the woman.</p><p>     "I have come to inform you to pack your bags. Students will leave first thing in the morning."</p><p>     Students gasped, awaiting a further explanation.</p><p>     Professor McGonagall had a grim look on her face, "I am not sure if you have heard but... a student has been taken into Chamber of Secrets."</p><p>     They were told to pack their bags... A student had been taken into the Chamber... That meant that Hogwarts would likely be closed off for good.</p><p>     "Who is it?" questioned a sixth-year faintly, breaking the deafening silence.</p><p>     "I'm afraid it is a first-year," the Professor began. The stillness inside the room encouraged her to continue.</p><p>     "Ginny Weasley."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Ginny Weasley</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ginny Weasley is taken into the Chamber of secrets, leaving her brothers to worry after her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>McGonagall reminded them to pack their bags before leaving the common room.</p><p>     Alexandra's eyes locked onto the Weasley brothers' direction. They were sitting together in the corner of the common room with Harry Potter.</p><p>     Percy rose from his seat beside his siblings to send an owl to his parents, informing the situation.</p><p>     George, too, rose from his seat in hopes of leaving the common room. The haunting silence within the students was beginning to get on his nerves.</p><p>     Alexandra caught up to him before he could get out from Fat Lady's portrait.</p><p>     She placed her hand onto his shoulder in an attempt to calm him, knowing that nothing she did could ease up the situation.</p><p>     "You should sit down, George."</p><p>     She noticed that he was clenching his fists.</p><p>     "I'm going to see Percy in the Owlery," his voice came out hoarse from restraining his sobs.</p><p>     "It's not wise to leave now," she said softly, "Let's just sit down."</p><p>     George didn't move. Instead, he stared at her with his bloodshot eyes.</p><p>     "Fine." he breathed after a brief silence.</p><p>     Alexandra guided him to the farthest armchair in the room, away from the prying eyes.</p><p>     George collapsed onto the armchair and placed his head in his hand with a weary sigh.</p><p>     "Ginny... She's too young," his voice cracked.</p><p>     Alexandra had no idea how to comfort George or what to tell him. It felt awkward sitting still beside him.</p><p>     Remembering that a literal eleven-year-old had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets made her blood run cold. She didn't know Ginny Weasley well, but she knew that she was an innocent girl who was overly thrilled about coming to Hogwarts, like how she was.</p><p>     "Alexandra, what if... what if something happens to her?"</p><p>     George hadn't used her full name in years. Even when he did, he did it jokingly.</p><p>     "Don't say that!" replied Alexandra, suddenly sitting straight in an attempt to seem convincing. "Professors will rescue her. I have no doubt."</p><p>     George chuckled humourlessly. "I thought you doubted Dumbledore."</p><p>     "But I don't doubt Professor McGonagall. Nor I doubt Professor Lockhart. They are real badasses, I'm telling you." said Alexandra, trying to lighten up the mood.</p><p>     She flashed a quick smile, and suddenly George knew that she was sincere. In the end, everything would turn out all right. Perhaps not now, but soon enough. The tragedy couldn't coexist in a world with Alexandra Black's signature smiles he came to love.</p><p>     Alexandra had an internal conflict about whether or not squeezing his shoulder would bring comfort when George dropped his head onto her shoulder.</p><p>     Alexandra flinched at the sudden touch, eyes travelling down to her shoulder to study the troubled boy. She hoped that he didn't notice her reaction.</p><p>     "Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked quietly, raising his head back up.</p><p>     "What? <em>No</em>! What gave you the idea?"</p><p>     She cringed at her response. She got alienated from physical affection in her childhood and getting one now made her feel all kinds of things she couldn't quite describe.</p><p>    "You flinched."</p><p>     She stood silent. She didn't know how to describe to George what she was feeling.</p><p>     "You're not making me uncomfortable," replied Alexandra sternly. That was the only response her now overworking brain could think.</p><p>     "It's just," Alexandra stopped in mid-sentence, letting out a weak sigh. She knew that nothing she said would make George feel better. He needed someone to be there for him. Not someone to make him false promises.</p><p>     George let out a noise that sounded like a mixture of a chuckle and a sob.</p><p>     "Oh, come here," said Alexandra tiredly.</p><p>     She slipped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. George wrapped his arm around her and rested his head at the crook of her neck. There they stood, letting the silence of the room envelope them while holding onto each other for comfort.</p><p>     Eventually, the room started to clear as it got late. Short and subtle goodnights got exchanged as students headed back to their dorms.</p><p>     George and Alexandra went to sit with George's brothers after a while. She watched the remaining students retreat to their dorms, which led her to believe that it was well past midnight.</p><p>     Surprisingly, Maya came down the stairs as the last remaining students headed up to their dorm.</p><p>     "Um, just letting you know that we packed your bags, too," said Maya, hints of exhaustion in her voice. She gave the Weasley siblings a tender smile before heading back to her dorm.</p><p>     The weight of Alexandra exhaustion stopped her from questioning what Maya meant by 'we'. Alexandra was grateful, nonetheless. She knew that she'd do nothing but collapse onto her bed once she headed to her dorm.</p><p>     Alexandra felt drained despite doing the bare minimum the entirety of the day. She blamed it on the consuming feeling of stress and obscurity. She couldn't bring herself to imagine how Fred and George felt, knowing that your sister might <em>die</em>.</p><p>     Her eyelids got heavier as the clock ticked. Two o'clock. Three o'clock. The rational side of her head told her that nothing would come out from that night. She knew that. But she also knew that her friends needed someone to be with them. They needed a friend who would check upon them.</p><p>     "All right, boys," began Alexandra as the clock hit four. "I expect none of you'd want to leave without knowing that Ginny is safe, but you have to go back to your dorms and sleep."</p><p>     "Won't be sleeping either way," replied George, slightly raising his head from the palm of his hand to look down at the raven-haired girl beside him.</p><p>     Alexandra sighed and slumped lower into the armchair, forcing herself to stay awake. She knew that Fred and George would do the same if the tables got turned.</p><p>     The clock continued ticking, and Alexandra found it tougher to keep her eyes open. Her eyelids felt like weights dragging shut. She couldn't handle the overbearing desire to sleep any longer, and so, she allowed the darkness to take her, drifting into slumber.</p><p>     George noticed a change in Alexandra's posture. It wasn't as stiff as it was for the past hours, so he turned around to see what was wrong.</p><p>     He ran a hand through his hair tiredly as he examined the fast asleep girl. Then, he stood up to find a blanket to wrap her body.</p><p>     Alexandra woke up a few hours later to find Fred and George sleeping on the armchair across her, a scarlet blanket covering them. She rubbed her eyes drowsily and looked around. Ron and Harry were long gone, and it seemed like students were still asleep, seeing as the room was empty.</p><p>     Alexandra found herself unable to leave her friends alone. And so, she pulled the blanket over her shoulders and hoped for the best.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>By dinner time, the whole castle had heard about the good news. The Chamber of Secrets got sealed for good.</p><p>     The festive air inside the castle led the students to rush down to dinner on their pyjamas and not get scolded for it.</p><p>     She was shocked to learn that Lockhart's persona was fraudulent. It outraged her to hear that he stole others' stories for himself. She was ashamed to be dense enough to believe him.</p><p>     The rest of the term passed by eerily fast and Alexandra barely had time to process what went down before she found herself on the Hogwarts Express.</p><p>     Once they arrived at King's Cross Station, she got ambushed by the twins as they left the train.</p><p>     "Bet your Grandmother will be relieved once you tell her what happened," said Fred, as they passed by parents and students.</p><p>     "Relieved?" she snorted. "Certainly! The death of Slytherin's monster surely will be joyous news for her."</p><p>     George frowned at her remark. He recalled what Alexandra said in their first feast.</p><p>
  <em>     "— and I can meet Mudbloods now! Oh, Grandmother told me so much about them. I've heard that there are quite a lot of them here too."</em>
</p><p>     He opened his mouth to make a witty comeback but was interrupted by a piercing voice.</p><p>     "ALEXANDRA!"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Rage of the Black</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alexandra and Walburga Black clash over their vastly different views.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Alexandra!"</p><p>     The grin playing on Alexandra's lips faltered at the all-too-familiar voice. </p><p>     She assumed it to be another Alexandra. There <em>must </em>be countless many girls named Alexandra in Britain.</p><p>     "Alexandra Black!" the voice sounded intense.</p><p>     Nervously, Alexandra turned around. She tensed upon catching Walburga's crazed glares.</p><p>     Walburga marched beside her and studied the twins. "And who may these gentlemen be?"</p><p>     "They are <em>— </em>er <em>—</em>"</p><p>     Alexandra shivered under Walburga's cold gaze. It was now or never to defy Walburga's prejudiced beliefs, or more specifically, accept her friends vocally.</p><p>     Gathering up all the courage she had, Alexandra said, "<em>— </em>my friends. My <em>best </em>friends, Grandmother. Fred and George Weasley."</p><p>     "<em>Weasley</em>?" Walburga practically spat. She held back her yells in front of the crowd.</p><p>     "Have a fine evening, gentlemen," said Walburga in mocking politeness. She grabbed Alexandra's wrist and dragged her away from the Weasley brothers.</p><p>     George watched as Alexandra sent them an apologetic smile before disappearing into the crowd. </p><p>     At that moment, George realised just how little he knew about her home life. She rarely spoke about her home, only some stuff about her Grandmother, who apparently, was quite strict. </p><p>     He had his fair share of assumptions, judging by her cousin Draco Malfoy, but none seemed as far fetched as what he experienced moments ago. The woman before him had to bite her tongue to restrain her snarky remarks. </p><p>     It scared him to wonder what went down in the Black household. It couldn't be positive, seeing as it produced some of the most deranged criminals of Britain.</p><p>     Alexandra looked terrified when she mentioned them as her friends, and he wondered if that would have any outcomes. Most Pureblood families considered the Weasleys to be traitors, and he somewhat knew what happened to those who mingled with blood traitors. </p><p>     An immense amount of guilt encircled him. He remembered Walburga's glares then the Howler she sent in their first year. It worried him to think about what she could do to Alexandra. He hoped Walburga possessed an ounce of humanity to leave her be.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"<em>THE WEASLEYS</em>?" </p><p>     Walburga's voice came out in the form of a roar. It echoed inside the hall, causing a shiver to run down Alexandra's spine. </p><p>     "The disgrace you have put our name upon is not limited with just Gryffindor, but with Weasleys too?" she shrieked.</p><p>     The ornate portraits in the grand hall peered at the duo, curiously watching the long-awaited screaming match.</p><p>     "Ridiculing me for my House has grown old, hasn't it, Grandmother?" retorted Alexandra with an act of unknown courage.</p><p>     "You <em>— </em>" Walburga's face reddened, "How dare you mock me!" </p><p>     "I'm not mocking you, Grandmother," began Alexandra, "I'm simply expressing my exhaustion for getting ridiculed about something out of my control." </p><p>     "The disgrace you've grown to is — is <em>beyond </em>reasonable! Have I taught you nothing at all? Weasleys are no match to be a Black companion! We do not associate with Mudblood lovers."</p><p>     "For Godric's sake," Alexandra finally lost her cool. The sudden spurt of determination encouraged her to continue. "Have you ever stopped to doubt your senseless views over blood purity?"</p><p>     Something snapped in Walburga's eyes. Then she yelled, and it sounded almost like a Mandrake's cry. Alexandra's firm look on her face faltered, and her hands started to tremble beside her body. She'd never seen Walburga <em>that </em>crazy, and it frightened her.</p><p>     Alexandra could barely make out words from Walburga's shrieks. There were the occasional 'corruption' and 'filthy blood' as well as 'disgrace' in her speech.</p><p>     It seemed like Walburga's screech would not come to an end. And for that, Alexandra had to take matters into her own hands. She took a deep breath and clenched her trembling hands to appear mightier.</p><p>     "JUST SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE AND LISTEN!"</p><p>     Alexandra yelled with a force she didn't know she had in her. Her face was just as red as Walburga's was, and it reminded her that they were still in the middle of the hallway.</p><p>     Alexandra blamed her sudden outburst on the sudden rise of adrenaline. Much to her dismay, it died just as fast, and she was left flabbergasted beside Walburga. </p><p>     "How dare you," Walburga whispered dangerously. "HOW DARE YOU! WITHOUT ME, YOU'D BE LIVING MISERABLY IN A CHILDREN'S HOME! JUST REMEMBER THAT!"</p><p>     Alexandra's breath hitched. Walburga was right. Like how she always was. Alexandra was a lonely, orphaned girl with nothing but her grandmother. She had no one to turn to beside Walburga, nowhere to go. No family in their right mind would take in the spawn of a mass murderer. </p><p>     But Alexandra didn't have to go to a children's home to have a miserable life. Hers was already lonely and demoralised.</p><p>     "AND WITHOUT ME, YOU'D BE LIVING A FOUL LIFE WITH NO ONE TO BE THERE FOR YOU!" Alexandra screamed all of her stored grief.</p><p>     Walburga inhaled a deep breath. When she exhaled, it seemed as if she exhaled fire instead of air. </p><p>     "Those Weasleys may have brainwashed you, but I expect a redemption to be possible for you, Alexandra," said Walburga. Alexandra wrinkled her nose at her remark.</p><p>     "The redemption you offer is one I don't wish upon my mortal enemy." </p><p>     With that, Alexandra whirled around and headed straight to her room, tears falling deliberately from her cheeks. </p><p>     Nothing could have prepared Alexandra for the summer that awaited her.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Now that the COS  is over, I expect the POA to have far more exciting chapters than before. Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Prisoner of Azkaban</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the end of July 1993, and the news of Sirius Black's escape hits Alexandra harder than it probably should.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra Black experienced perhaps the loneliest summer of her life. After her outburst, Walburga refrained from seeing her friends. She believed that Alexandra required to rethink her choices to redeem herself, and isolation was the only way to do so.</p><p>     It was relatively quiet in Grimmauld Place until the faithful morning of July 31st.</p><p>     Walburga and Alexandra were having breakfast when an unfamiliar owl swooped in through the open window. It dropped an envelope beside Alexandra's plate and left the room as quick as it arrived.</p><p>     Alexandra watched the owl leave in confusion. She set down her fork and studied the white envelope. What confused her thoroughly was the fact that it had the wax seal of the Ministry of Magic.</p><p>     "Well, read it aloud, will you?" said Walburga discreetly.</p><p>     Alexandra took the envelope shakily, afraid that she might have received a warning for underage magic. But that couldn't be it. The wards surrounding Grimmauld Place was strong enough to prevent any outside intervention.</p><p>     She opened the envelope and read it aloud.</p><p>
  <em>"Dear Miss Black,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It is my greatest sorrow to inform you about the unpredictable turn of events. A few days prior, your father, Sirius Black, escaped Azkaban. It's yet to get discovered how he evaded the Dementors.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Considering the circumstances, it's best to have a meeting in person. I will be expecting your reply.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Best of wishes,</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Cornelius Fudge</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Minister of Magic"</em>
</p><p>     Walburga dropped her fork as she watched her granddaughter with frightened eyes.</p><p>     "I shall write him a reply as soon as possible." declared Walburga and rushed out of the dining room.</p><p>     For the rest of the day, Walburga remained in her study, leaving Alexandra drowning in her thoughts. It felt like Walburga was knowingly ignoring her, but Alexandra had far serious issues to contemplate over Walburga's demeanour. How could Sirius Black escape Azkaban? What were his intentions?</p><p>     The next morning, another owl arrived from the Minister, informing the date of their meeting.</p><p>     The news travelled around Britain, and before she knew it, Sirius Black had turned into the only topic discussed. That brought up another problem; how was she going to be a prefect?</p><p>     McGonagall had appointed her as prefect before Sirius Black's escape. How could Hogwarts keep an escapee's daughter a prefect? His breakout made everything far more complicated than it should.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Alexandra found herself across her mirror, examining the emerald dress Walburga had picked for the day they'd meet the Minister. Her grandmother had instructed her to look presentable. After all, they were members of <em>the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black</em>. They <em>always </em>had to look presentable.</p><p>     Alexandra sighed at her reflection. She didn't feel like wearing green at all. If anything, she should have been wearing black to match the funeral-like atmosphere.</p><p>     Grabbing her dark cloak, she headed down to find her grandmother.</p><p>     Walburga was waiting for her in front of the fireplace. They grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, then said<em> Ministry of Magic</em>.</p><p>     Once they landed, Walburga steered Alexandra away from the fireplace and into the stream of wizards and witches walking by. Alexandra glanced around to see if anyone had recognised them. Fortunately, they hadn't. She wasn't sure whether she could handle their backlash at that moment.</p><p>     They reached a small hall where stood at least twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles. Alexandra and Walburga headed to the least crowded elevator they could find and went over to Level One.</p><p>     Upon reaching Level One, they headed straight towards the gleaming mahogany door, which had a plaque that read <em>Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic</em>.</p><p>     His secretary was waiting for them outside the Minister's door. He greeted them, which seemingly wasn't good enough for Walburga, who regarded him with cold eyes.</p><p>     "The Minister's expecting you," said the Minister's secretary and led them inside.</p><p>     They sat down to chairs across the Minister's table, in which Alexandra tried her best to disregard the uptight atmosphere. Then, the Minister ordered a pot of tea for them.</p><p>     "Now, Minister, do tell us how my son, Sirius, escaped the impenetrable prison?" said Walburga, dropping all of her insincere politeness.</p><p>     "It is yet to be determined, Mrs Black," replied Fudge. Then, he turned to Alexandra. "Tea?" he offered.</p><p>     She nodded grudgingly. Fudge poured out the tea into a cup and handed it to her.</p><p>     "We lack intel regarding his whereabouts, which brings me to the main reason why I requested this meeting," said Fudge. Alexandra took a sip from her tea nervously while listening to the man.</p><p>     "I suggest appointing Aurors to keep Miss Black safe."</p><p>     Walburga's eyes widened, and her voice gained an edge as she spoke. "Why would we need to go through those lengths?"</p><p>     "Er, well, we have every reason to believe that Sirius Black is after her. And Harry Potter, of course. We all know what happened on the night of his imprisonment and what he's capable of." said Fudge with a sigh.</p><p>     "Forgive me, Minister, but what <em>happened </em>that night? Why would he come after me?" asked Alexandra, placing her cup down. She had never truly learned what went down that faithful night, only that Sirius Black murdered some Muggles.</p><p>     "Alexandra, that's more than enough—"</p><p>     "You have not heard?" inquired Fudge, looking relatively shocked. "That's understandable. You were a child, after all."</p><p>     Fudge clasped his hands and leaned over his chair. The glimmer in the Minister's eyes faded, his wrinkles of worry grew noticeable, and Alexandra understood that the topic was far from being light. She clasped her hands together, too, to prevent them from shaking as she tried to get rid of the knot in her stomach.</p><p>     "It's common knowledge that your father, Sirius Black, murdered fourteen innocent people with a single curse that night. But what's lesser known is how he sold the Potters, who were in hiding, to You-Know-Who!"</p><p>     Alexandra's face paled, "You mean Harry Potter's parents? He left them to the hands of You-Know-Who?"</p><p>     "Precisely! He may not have been the one to fire the spell, but he did as good as murdering his so-called best friend and his wife," said Fudge.</p><p>    Alexandra swallowed hard when Fudge regarded James Potter as Sirius Black's best friend. How could one betray his friend like that? It made her sick to think about it, to remember that she was his child. She shared his blood.</p><p>     "But that is Mr Potter's concern, not ours. I still cannot grasp why Alexandra would need the assistance of Aurors," said Walburga, annoyed that Fudge was talking in circles.</p><p>     Fudge looked distressed, "We believe that Sirius Black is after his unfinished job, to well, kill Harry Potter. I gather that Ms Black is also a target of him, seeing as he had left her to die."</p><p>     Alexandra's head snapped in Walburga's direction, waiting for her to refute his words. But she didn't. Instead, Walburga squeezed her trembling hands — Alexandra didn't know whether it was to give comfort or to tell her to keep herself together — and said, "That will not be necessary. Sirius won't lay a finger on my granddaughter."</p><p>     Fudge, clearly not wishing to argue with Walburga Black, gave her a slight nod. "Very well, then."</p><p>     Walburga rose from her seat. "We better get going. I do not wish to waste any more of your precious time, Minister."</p><p>     "Not at all, not at all. It's been my greatest pleasure to have you here, Mrs Black," said Fudge. He stood up from his chair to see them out.</p><p>     Alexandra followed Walburga's suit and marched towards the door. Just as she opened the door to get out, they got bombarded with blinding camera flashes.</p><p>     A woman with elaborate blonde curls and jewelled spectacles stood across the door. Beside her was the cameraman who had taken their pictures.</p><p>     "What in Salazar's name is this?" thundered Walburga at the Minister. Fudge gave a questioning look at the mysterious woman who was busy studying Alexandra with her snooping eyes.</p><p>     Alexandra was too shaken to quiver under the blonde woman's gaze. Her mind was trying to process that her father had left her to <em>die</em>.</p><p>     "I apologise for the unannounced appearance," said the woman, who looked anything but apologetic. "I'm Rita Skeeter. Surely you must've heard about me. I write for the <em>Daily Prophet</em>."</p><p>     Walburga looked unimpressed. "Forgive me, but I cannot perceive your relevancy here," said Walburga. Then she turned to Fudge and gave a firm nod, "I bit you good luck with capturing Sirius Black, Minister."</p><p>     Walburga began walking towards the lifts, Alexandra following right behind. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened and rushed after them.</p><p>     "I'd like to ask a few questions," said Rita Skeeter, stopping them from entering the lift.</p><p>     "We won't answer — !"</p><p>     "Miss Black!" announced Rita Skeeter, turning her attention to the pale-looking girl with the emerald dress. "You <em>are </em>the notorious Sirius Black's daughter, no? You must have something to say about the situation."</p><p>     "There's nothing to be said," Alexandra dismissed the nosy journalist tiredly while the cameraman took pictures. She wanted nothing more than to hop on to her bed as soon as she could.</p><p>     "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have better things to do than satisfying interlopers." Alexandra grabbed Walburga's hand and dragged her inside the lift. Once the doors got shut, she dropped her face into her hands.</p><p>     She couldn't quite remember stepping out from the lift and heading back to Grimmauld Place. One thing she was inside the elevator, the next thing she was laying on her bed, Vela curled up beside her.</p><p>     Alexandra had a tough time sleeping, knowing that her father wished her dead. She'd wake up in the middle of the night, all sweating, and tiptoe down to the kitchen.</p><p>     After the meeting with the Minister, Alexandra couldn't help but study defensive spells. Learning them brought her a sense of comfort, that if she ever had to face her father, she could stand her ground.</p><p>     If possible, Alexandra would've never left her bed for the remainder of the summer holidays, burying her head into books to escape her less than desirable reality. But Walburga was having none of it.</p><p>     Every morning, Walburga expected Alexandra to get dressed in the proper attire to start her day, get down to breakfast, accompany her grandmother, then do whatever she desired. She was keen on keeping from Alexandra falling into a darker place than where she already was.</p><p>     "Alexandra," began Walburga, sounding eerily cheerful as she came into the dining room with a letter in hand. "I have excellent news for you!"</p><p>     Alexandra tilted her head up from her food, furrowing her brows, to look up at Walburga. The Walburga Black she knew was not a cheerful person, which led her to believe that something was wrong. Did Walburga get under the control of <em>Imperio</em>?</p><p>     Walburga handed Alexandra the neatly written letter before sitting down. "Wonderful news, that is! A garden party is what we need!"</p><p>     Walburga, noticing the confused look on Alexandra's face, gestured for her granddaughter to read the letter. Without getting Walburga to repeat herself, Alexandre glanced down at the letter in her hand.</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>THE </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>GARDEN PARTY</em>
  </b>
  <br/>
  <em>of the Malfoy Family</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In honour to </em>
  <em>celebrate their 17th Anniversary</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Saturday, 21th of August 1993</em>
  <br/>
  <em>The Malfoy Manor</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Pureblood Gatherings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Events hosted by Pureblood families has always been fascinating.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter includes underage drinking and mentions of abuse.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra woke up to blazing august sun blinding her already sore eyes. </p><p>     She sat up on her bed, rubbed her eyes to adjust to the sudden lighting of her room, and was ready to thunder on whoever ruined her sleep.</p><p>     "Good," said Walburga, with her sharp voice. "You're awake."</p><p>     "Grandmother?" muttered Alexandra, blinking a few times to make sure the silhouette beside her window was really Walburga Black and not an extension of her imagination. </p><p>     With her stern expression, Walburga looked scarier than ever, which caused Alexandra to wonder whether she overslept again. </p><p>     "Kreacher has tried to wake you up three times now," said Walburga in a dangerously low tone. Alexandra was grateful that the woman hadn't yelled, her aching senses wouldn't appreciate that, but the tranquillity in Walburga's voice was alarming nonetheless.</p><p>     Head thumping, Alexandra recalled Kreacher entering her room, again and again, with a worried grimace on his face as Walburga was beginning to get irritated downstairs. Alexandra had assumed it to be a part of her soon-to-be-forgotten dream, but as it appeared, she was mistaken.</p><p>     Walburga furrowed her brows, her not-so-gentle gaze turning into full-fledged glares. Alexandra got her message, and in an instant, she threw off her duvet and jumped onto her feet, slightly staggering as she did so. She grabbed her morning gown from the valet stand, threw it on, and turned to Walburga in a way that resembled a soldier waiting for a command. </p><p>     "Forgive me, Grandmother," said Alexandra in a polite voice she mastered in years of living with Walburga Black. "Exhaustion must have gotten the best of me, with everything going on nowadays..."</p><p>     Lying to others had always brought a feeling of guilt with it, but she wasn't entirely lying about the impact of the news regarding the Azkaban escapee held.</p><p>     Walburga's gaze didn't harden, nor did it soften. Alexandra didn't know how to interpret it but concluded that the silent treatment was better than the possible shrieks echoing throughout the house.</p><p>     "Get ready. We will be leaving for the Malfoy Manor in a few hours," said Walburga, her voice cutting through the flat air inside Alexandra's room.</p><p>     Alexandra's mind raced. "What about breakfast?"</p><p>     "It's well past breakfast time, Alexandra. You of all people should know it."</p><p>     "But, have you eaten, Grandmother? If not, I could ask Kreacher to prepare us something," said Alexandra, beginning to get worried. Why did Walburga not mention them having breakfast together?</p><p>     "Oh, I have eaten. But you, however," Walburga smiled cruelly, "will have to face the consequences of your actions."</p><p>     With that, Walburga left, leaving Alexandra alone with her wide open mouth. </p><p>     What, now Walburga was going to leave her to starve? Ever since her outburst at the very beginning of the holidays, Walburga had been vicious to the girl. Alexandra was even restricted to use Pollux, the owl of the House of Black. </p><p>     Snapping out of her thoughts, Alexandra let out a weary sigh and headed towards her wardrobe. She could've very well ask Kreacher to prepare something for her, but she didn't wish to put him in trouble, thus deciding to not eat until the party. Surely there'd be food at Narcissa's party.</p><p>     In a few hours, she was ready to be displayed as the doll she was at the Malfoy's party. She wore an emerald dress that was much livelier than the green exhibited at Grimmauld Place. Golden strands decorated the silk dress' collars which matched the precious jewellery she put on. And once she finally managed to tuck her wavy hair into place, Alexandra believed she was more than ready. </p><p>     Before leaving her bedroom, Alexandra stole one last glance at her reflection and hoped that it was well enough to please Walburga for the day. </p><p>     Alexandra headed down to the drawing-room, where she hoped to find Walburga. Unfortunately, she wasn't there, which meant that she was still getting dressed up. </p><p>     Alexandra threw herself onto the exquisite armchair beside the fireplace and instantly regretted her choice. The fact that she had a silk gown on had slipped off her mind. And much to her frustration, the dress didn't comply with her choice of action either.</p><p>     Her breath itched, finding it difficult to breathe, as the dress suddenly became tighter at the impact of her action. She stood up to her feet as quickly as she could, tried to regain her breath, and then checked her dress to see if she accidentally ripped it off. </p><p>     To her luck, the dress was all right, but her nerves were not.</p><p>     Not wanting to risk ripping off the dress, Alexandra decided to wait for Walburga on her feet. Soon enough, Walburga appeared through the door with a small box in hand.</p><p>     "Ah, there you are," said Walburga. "This is for you."</p><p>     The Black matriarch handed the box to Alexandra, which caused her stomach to bubble wit curiosity. She looked at Walburga in an attempt to get her permission to open the box, and fortunately, she nodded as a sign of approval.</p><p>     "I was planning on giving this to you on your sixteenth birthday. But owing to the circumstances, I expect it is agreeable for you to have it now."</p><p>     Alexandra carefully opened the box, and immediately, an astonished gasp escaped her lips. Inside the box was a jade neckless shining boldly at her. </p><p>     "This is a goblin-forged neckless that has been passing down for generations in the Black Family," explained Walburga. "It's priceless. My mother had given me this."</p><p>     "This is beautiful... and you're giving it to me?" Alexandra breathed out, suddenly forgetting the quarrel they had in the morning and her grumbling stomach. </p><p>     "Why, yes. As the Heiress of the Black fortune, it is your birthright."</p><p>     Alexandra gave Walburga another astonished glance, then took the jade neckless out of its box. She bit her lip as she inspected it, still under the shock of the sudden kindness of Walburga. The necklace itself felt surreal, too, with its jade stone glowing brightly at her.  </p><p>     "Are you planning to gawk at the necklace for the rest of the afternoon, or will you put it on so that we can leave?" said Walburga's rather tired voice.</p><p>     Alexandra felt dizzy with excitement as she put on the jade necklace. All her worries washed away at the thought of carrying something so precious.</p><p>     They Apparated at the end of the straight drive, which led to the Malfoy Manor. The majestic mansion never ceased to amaze Alexandra, no matter how many times she's been there. </p><p>     The great iron gates before them magically opened as they walked forward, and they were greeted with the now handsomely decorated garden waiting for the guests. Alexandra couldn't help but grin to herself at the sight of the details.</p><p>     The decoration was full of narcissus flowers. Many instruments were floating at the front of the garden, far enough from the guests, which produced a calming symphony that eased the overly formal atmosphere. </p><p>     There were stands of foods and drinks at the side of the garden. The Malfoys were displaying them in their fanciest china as a way of showing their wealth if the grand manor itself wasn't impressive enough.</p><p>     The food at the stands was calling for Alexandra and her empty stomach, desperately seeking her attention. She was struggling to hold herself from sprinting towards them. But then again, no food was worth the wrath of Walburga Black.</p><p>     She did her best to shrug off the urge to stuff her mouth with the delicious-looking food and turned back to the crowd inside the garden.</p><p>     Even though it wasn't common for invitations to request special attire, women tend to wear fancy dresses and expensive jewellery as only the Pureblood families got invited to such parties. In these events, socially climbing mothers would try to obtain socially climbing partners for their children to promote their family reputation. </p><p>     The House of Black was an exception to this. They were no socially climbing family. They were <em>the </em>socialites, <em>the royalty </em>of the wizarding world. </p><p>     Alexandra knew that something was wrong when whispers rose from the crowd at the sight of them. She wanted to believe that it was for the sole reason of her expensive jewellery, but she was no fool. They were whispering about her, or more specifically, about her father, <em>Sirius Black</em>.</p><p>     She wanted to quiver under their judging gazes and sharp tounges, but she knew that she couldn't. Blacks didn't display emotion nor weakness of any kind.</p><p>     For a split second, her gaze flickered to her grandmother, who looked absolutely powerful with her confident steps. </p><p>     Getting encouraged by her grandmother's unfazed manner, they walked to where the Malfoys were without breaking their pace.</p><p>     "Ah, it is a pleasure to see you, aunt Walburga," greeted Narcissa at the sight of them. She had a sincere smile on her face, and Alexandra could tell that she was genuinely happy.</p><p>     "How could one miss such a magical event, dear," replied Walburga.</p><p>     Lucius and Alexandra exchanged curt nods, not bothering to exchange hollow words for the sake of politeness. Without further straying around, Walburga guided Alexandra to where a familiar face was smirking at them.</p><p>     "Mr Avery," Walburga gave the man a polite nod.</p><p>     "Mrs Black, always a pleasure to see you," said the elder Avery, as he shook Walburga's hand. "One must say, the news about Sirius is quite disheartening."</p><p>     "Yes, very much." </p><p>     It appeared that Walburga's facade of politeness was slowly crumbling down. Alexandra couldn't help but reimagine the scene in front of her in Grimmauld Place, with Walburga screaming loud enough to be heard through the wards.</p><p>     Pulling herself together, Walburga steered her attention to Cassius, who was standing beside his father, wearing a fancy suit. A charming smirk was on his face, similar to the ones Alexandra had gotten accustomed to over the years.</p><p>     Once Mr Avery and Walburga fell into a dull conversation, Cassius dragged Alexandra away from the adults and to the food stands.</p><p>     Her heart throbbed in joy at the sight of the various desserts, each looking tastier than the other. Similar to Alexandra, Cassius, too, looked mesmerised by the food.</p><p>     "The food is the only notable thing about these gatherings." Cassius gave Alexandra a knowing grin before the two of them piled several desserts to their plates. Then, they rushed off to a corner to eat them without the prying eyes of the adults.</p><p>     Once they finished and placed the empty plates onto a table, house-elves magically appeared beside them, making the duo jump out of their skin.</p><p>     "Merlin's bloody balls," muttered Cassius once they disappeared with the empty plates. "They came out of nowhere!"</p><p>     "Well, that happens with Apparition."</p><p>     Cassius' head snapped at the girl smirking at him. "Hilarious, aren't you?"</p><p>     "I suspect so." mused Alexandra. "By the way, where's Adrian? I thought Mrs Pucey enjoyed fancy events."</p><p>     "You're unbelievable sometimes, Mia," said Cassius in disbelief. "He and his family are in France. They won't be back until the end of August. You'd have known if you'd taken your sweet time to read our letters."</p><p>     It was Alexandra's turn to be confused. She remembered vividly that none of her friends had sent her a single letter in the course of the summer, not even when Sirius Black fled Azkaban. They didn't need to send lengthy letters declaring their sympathy for her, no, but a simple, <em>'How are you holding up, Alexandra?'</em> would have been nice. </p><p>     If anyone was to be sour, it was her. </p><p>     "Don't act like you're not guilty yourself," spat Alexandra, the rage that had been building up all summer slowly surfacing. "None of you sent me a letter that I could reply. Not even when <em>Sirius Black fled Azkaban</em>!"</p><p>     "But I did! Loads of it! And I know that Adrian did, too." Cassius furrowed his brows. Something wasn't adding up.</p><p>     The fire burning within Alexandra diminished instantly, and her tense muscles relaxed. What did Cassius mean by that? He wasn't lying to save himself, was he? </p><p>     "That doesn't make any sense," said Alexandra, finally.</p><p>     "I know." </p><p>     They stayed silent for a while, solely depending on the comfort their presence brought to one another. Then, a grin emerged on Cassius' face, which by all means, worried Alexandra.</p><p>     "You know what we need right now? A good drink."</p><p>     "You can't be serious."</p><p>     "I'm afraid I am not your father."</p><p>     The aghast expression on Alexandra's face was enough to tell Cassius that it was early to joke about her father. Not wanting to face the guilt, Cassius grabbed Alexandra by her hand and dragged her to the drink stand.</p><p>     On the stand stood expensive drinks. It was probably illegal for them to have a drink at that age, but Alexandra was sure that none would care in that environment. </p><p>     Cassius grabbed a bottle of wine, poured some of it into glasses, and handed one of them to Alexandra. </p><p>     "To celebrate our forthcoming OWLs," said Alexandra, sarcastically, her glass raised.</p><p>    "You say celebrate I say drown my sorrows. Cheers, Mia." Cassius grinned at her before also raising his glass.</p><p>     One sip led to another, and before they know it, they were downing their third glass of wine. Alexandra was rather light-weighted and could feel herself getting tipsy, with her giggles now filling the air surrounding them.</p><p>     "I suspect that's enough for the day," said Cassius at the sight of his intoxicated friend. He wasn't holding well either, which greatly influenced his decision to cut off the drinks.</p><p>     "Why?" asked Alexandra, enjoying the sensation of numbness.</p><p>     "Personally, I would rather not face my father's wrath in this state of mind."</p><p>     Cassius was right. Walburga, too, would go mental if she ever saw Alexandra intoxicated. The thought alone was sobering enough for her.</p><p>     "We should find water," mentioned Cassius. "But the problem is <em>how</em>."</p><p>     Alexandra gazed down at the edge of the glass that carried an imprint of her lipstick, and a sudden idea popped in her now blurry mind.</p><p>     "We can ask from the house-elves!" declared Alexandra with a proud tone that would resemble whoever was to find the cure of Dragon Pox.</p><p>     She headed to the first empty table she spotted and placed her empty glass down, waiting for the house-elves to appear.</p><p>     To her satisfaction, one appeared with a <em>pop. </em>A smile emerged on her face as she asked, "Hello, um, may I request something from you?"</p><p>     The house-elf seemed perplexed that she was getting addressed. She looked around to see if Alexandra was talking to someone else, but to her shock, she was not. The lady in green was speaking to her.</p><p>     "Yes-yes, of course, Miss." replied the house-elf, who looked very young compared to Kreacher.</p><p>     "Would you mind bringing us two glasses of waters, please?" asked Alexandra kindly.</p><p>     The elf seemed to appreciate the kind approach of Alexandra. "Will do, kind Miss!"</p><p>     The house-elf disappeared and came back not much later, carrying two glasses of water.</p><p>     "Thank you." Alexandra gave the house-elf another warm smile as she took the glasses. </p><p>     Alexandra steered on her feet and headed to where Cassius was sitting. She handed him the water, and he gestured her to chuck it up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trip to Platform 9 3/4 has never been lonelier.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mentions underage drinking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kreacher fussed over Alexandra's open trunk, pacing around her room to make sure everything was packed.</p><p>     "...And thick wool socks. Young Mistress should keep her feet warm at all times to not get sick."</p><p>     Kreacher came back, carrying a bunch of newly-ironed wool socks. He placed them beside Alexandra's open trunk and moved to get her books. When he was finally satisfied with the items he gathered, the house-elf started to tuck them inside. Alexandra handed him her sack of clothes while Kreacher carefully put them into her trunk.</p><p>     "Oh, my poor Mistress has no one to take responsibility for her clothes in Hogwarts! Kreacher knows that Young Mistress likes her clothes <em>properly </em>ironed, but those <em>Hogwarts elves, </em>oh those elves<em>,</em> they are not as scrupulous as Kreacher..."</p><p>     The corner of Alexandra's lips quirked up at Kreacher's complains. He had been grumbling all summer about how incompetent the house-elves were at Hogwarts, worried that they weren't taking good care of her. His distress only doubled after hearing the news about Sirius Black.</p><p>     "Does Young Mistress wish Kreacher to prepare a snack for her journey to Hogwarts tomorrow?"</p><p>     "No, thank you," replied Alexandra while Kreacher closed her trunk. "I'd like to get a few things from the trolley if that's all right."</p><p>     Kreacher nodded grumpily before heading toward her nightstand. Kreacher took her prefect badge and dusted it off.</p><p>     "Kreacher is so proud! His Young Mistress is now a prefect! Oh, Kreacher remembers the day his Young Mistress first came to Grimmauld Place like yesterday." said Kreacher, looking almost teary.</p><p>     The small smile on Alexandra's lip faltered, remembering the Minister's words. <em>Her father had left her to die. </em>Her insides did a terrible somersault every time she thought of how corrupted her father was.</p><p>     "Kreacher, do you remember when Grandmother brought me here?" she asked with a low voice, not finding the strength to speak clearly.</p><p>     "Of course Kreacher remembers. It was on the 3rd of November."</p><p>     "D'you know why?"</p><p>     Kreacher turned to look at the girl, who stared at him expectantly. "It is not Kreacher's place to say it."</p><p>     He left before Alexandra could insist on him to continue. Not that Alexandra didn't know, but she needed someone to assure that her father hadn't completely abandoned her.</p><p>     What a childish hope that was. </p><p>     Huffing, she went down to the drawing-room, hoping to find her grandmother. Perhaps Walburga would be willing to give her straight answers.</p><p>     Instead of Walburga, she came across the <em>Daily Prophet</em>. Alexandra recalled the encounter she had with Rita Skeeter and curiously grabbed the newspaper to see what was new.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">BLACK STILL AT LARGE</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Fudge has gotten criticised by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?"</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>     Below the title stood Black's gaunt face. Alexandra shivered when he saw his shadowed eyes, his only feature that could prove him to be a human. How could she expect any decency from a man like that?</p><p>     Next to Sirius Black's article stood another, one that featured Alexandra and Walburga. It had the picture which Rita Skeeter had taken in front of the lift. Alexandra couldn't bring herself to read what Rita Skeeter wrote about her, and so, she tossed the newspaper back to the exquisite armchair.</p><p>     She figured out that if Walburga wasn't in the drawing-room, she must be in her bedroom, not wanting to be disturbed. Alexandra sighed defeatedly and went back to her room. It appeared that she wasn't going to get answers any time soon.</p><p>     Much to her dislike, the next morning came sooner than intended. Alexandra did a quick check around her room, making sure she didn't forget her stuff, before heading downstairs.</p><p>     Alexandra had her saddest trip to the King's Cross Station. Customarily, she'd be over the moon to head back to Hogwarts. That year, however, was different. That year, she'd have to carry the weight of her father's name and the judging stares that came along.</p><p>     Clutching to her trolley, Alexandra ran to the barrier between platform 9 and 10, eyes tightly shut. No matter how many times she crossed the wall, a part of her always feared crashing into it.</p><p>     The Muggle atmosphere morphed into one she was familiar with; the wizardkind. Instinctively, she clutched tighter onto her trolley and bit her lip at the sight of others.</p><p>     There were loads of other students present in the station, whether at her age or older, though they were all nearby their parents. Some of the younger students were crying as they hugged and kissed their fathers, and Alexandra couldn't help but look down at the sight of it. She felt incredibly tiny amongst them and just as lonely.</p><p>     If her father hadn't been a convicted murderer, would she be like that too?</p><p>     But there was no point in dwelling on <em>what-ifs</em>. Alexandra concluded that it was best to hop on to the train and not waste any more time resenting others.</p><p>     Alexandra bid Walburga a half-hearted goodbye and headed straight to the Hogwarts Express, hoping to find Fred and George.</p><p>     Not much later, she heard her name getting called.</p><p>     "OI, BLACK!"</p><p>    In a flash, Alexandra got tackled into a hug by the twins, making her stumble back.</p><p>     "Calm down, you two!" she chuckled as the boys pulled back.</p><p>     "We were terribly worried!" said Fred in a hurry.</p><p>     "Wrote to you all summer, but not a single reply! Quite disheartening, really," George paused abruptly. He looked down at the scarlet badge on her chest. "Hang on — you're prefect?"</p><p>     Fred's eyes widened. "What? If this is a joke, it is not funny!"</p><p>     "It's no joke. I am prefect," said Alexandra, her lips curling up in amusement. "I reckon they made me prefect in hopes of taming the two of you."</p><p>     Fred and George barked a laugh at her statement, but their laughter died off quickly.</p><p>     "But seriously, why didn't you reply to our owls? We were very concerned, especially after Sirius Black's breakout from Azkaban," said George with a slight frown on his face.</p><p>     Alexandra scowled, the scene in front of her feeling incredibly familiar. The only owl she received in the summer was from the Minister to discuss Sirius Black's breakout. Then, she remembered what Cassius had told her at the Malfoy's party. Apparently, he, too, had failed to reach her in the summer. </p><p>     Something was seriously wrong.</p><p>     "The only owl I received was from the Minister," she replied.</p><p>     "Now that's odd." Fred began, frowning as well. "We've sent you four different letters — and we know that Errol <em>did</em> deliver them, seeing as he managed to come back home."</p><p>     Alexandra shrugged. She noticed that the Hogwarts Express was getting crowded, and it reminded her that she had to head to the prefect's carriage.</p><p>     "Er — well — I have to head to the prefect's carriage now," she said. "Save a seat for me, will you?"</p><p>     "Oh, right. Of course." George sounded disappointed. "Well, try not to die of boredom. Percy's the Head Boy — been bragging about it the whole summer."</p><p>     "Head Boy? More like<em> Headache Boy</em>," Fred smirked. Alexandra shook her head at her friend's antics, a small grin appearing on her face.</p><p>     "Say hi to Lee for me!" said Alexandra as she waved goodbye to the twins.</p><p>     "Will do!" they chorused.</p><p>     Alexandra dragged her trunk, and her cat, to the prefect carriage, where the Head Girl and Boy held meetings to instruct prefects about their duties.</p><p>     Inside the carriage, she saw Liam Bryne, a fifth-year Gryffindor who shared a dorm with Fred, George and Lee. In all honesty, Alexandra wasn't surprised to see him as prefect since the other boys in their year were simply troublemakers.</p><p>     He gave her a small wave once he saw her.</p><p>     "Oh, hey, Black. Need a hand?" said Liam, pointing her heavy trunk.</p><p>     "That'd be very nice, thank you."</p><p>     Liam helped her carry her trunk to where the rest of the luggage was. Alexandra, unwillingly, left Vela with the other pets at the end of the prefect's carriage and followed her fellow Gryffindor towards the crowd.</p><p>     "You've arrived just in time. The Head Boy and Girl's about to start," said Liam, gesturing the two seventh-years in front of them, their badges shining on their chests.</p><p>     The Head Boy and Girl went over the procedure of being a prefect and what their duties were. Percy Weasley glanced at Alexandra while mentioning Sirius Black and that they all should be careful of him right before concluding his speech.</p><p>     Alexandra noticed that the prefects around tried not to glance at her when Sirius Black got mentioned. She held back the urge to roll her eyes. But in a way, they were right. He was a dangerous criminal who was not only successful at escaping Azkaban but evading the Aurors after him, too.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After the meeting ended, Alexandra and Liam agreed to meet in front of the prefect's carriage when it was eventually their turn to patrol.</p><p>     Grabbing her trunk and Vela's basket, she wasted no time to find Fred, George and Lee. They were seated in a compartment at the front of the train.</p><p>     She slid the door open to see the boys sprawled inside.</p><p>     "Let me make one thing perfectly clear," said Alexandra as she closed the door rather harshly. "Being best friends with a prefect <em>does not, </em>in any way<em>,</em> mean you can dodge authority, nor detention."</p><p>     The twins and Lee stared at her, dumbfounded, before howling in laughter.</p><p>     "That's — exactly — what — it — means!" said Lee between his cackles.</p><p>     Alexandra frowned and sat down to the empty seat beside Lee. She looked down at Vela, who was still inside her basket, apologetically, and opened her basket.</p><p>     "I'm so, <em>so </em>sorry, Vela," said Alexandra ruefully at her cat, who seemed annoyed to get caged up by sulking inside her basket. "I didn't wish to keep you in there for <em>this </em>long, too."</p><p>     Soon, the trio drifted into a casual conversation. Fred and George told them their trip to Egypt and how they failed to lock Percy inside a tomb. Lee talked about his summer and the magical animals he got to see due to his father's profession. When it came to Alexandra to speak about her summer, she was stuck.</p><p>     "I — er —" she stumbled over her words, not knowing what to tell. "It was the same as usual — well, it was not usual considering the breakout and everything — but, uh, oh!"</p><p>     She remembered how she and Cassius got tipsy at the formal party, nearly embarrassing themselves and the names they signified. With a mischievous grin, Alexandra told the boys about the party.</p><p>     "So that's what you've been up to all summer instead of replying to our letters. Running around with pampered Purebloods and getting pissed." Fred mockingly shook his head. "And one might think you're the mannered one around."</p><p>     "Oh, bugger off, Weasley." Alexandra looked around for something she could throw at Fred. Unfortunately, there were none, which got Fred to snigger.</p><p>     Around noon, the Trolley Lady came to their compartment. Alexandra and the boys pondered a little too long over the trolley to see what they could get, which presumably irritated the lady.</p><p>     By the time Alexandra's turn to patrol rolled around, the rainy sky began to darken, taking a shimmering grey colour. She assured the boys that she'd be back before they knew it and headed to the prefect's carriage to meet up with Liam Bryne.</p><p>     It got gradually dark until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors, illuminating the train. The Gryffindor prefects agreed to patrol different routs. Alexandra was to patrol the back of the train while Liam did the front.</p><p>     They parted ways, and Alexandra went over to the back of the train. Patrolling turned out to be far more tedious than she had imagined. There were a few loud students whom she warned, and other than that, it was quiet.</p><p>     At the very back, she spotted Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a man she didn't recognise sharing a compartment. Seeing Harry reminded her of the fact that Sirius Black was seeking to kill him.</p><p>     She had to warn Harry Potter without alarming him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Unusual Visitor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher appears to know a thing or two about his subject.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra slid the door open in hopes of speaking to Harry Potter.</p><p>     "Oh, hello Harry, Ronald, Hermione," she curtly greeted the trio, then turned to the man beside them. "and er —"</p><p>     "Professor R.J. Lupin," said Ron. "Our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."</p><p>     "I hope he lasts longer than a year," said Alexandra causally, making Ron snigger. Hermione seemed taken aback to hear such a statement from a prefect.</p><p>     Alexandra turned to Harry, "Look — I just wanted to tell you that, well, to be careful, Harry," she said with a bitter sigh. "Sirius Black... He's no joke."</p><p>     "So I have heard..." replied Harry.</p><p>     The trio exchanged anxious looks. Little did Alexandra know that they have been discussing Sirius Black the whole train ride.</p><p>     Hermione opened her mouth to ask Alexandra about her father but got quieted by how abruptly the train slowed.</p><p>     "Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past the Professor to try and see outside from the window. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."</p><p>     "We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch.</p><p>     "She's right," Alexandra backed Hermione. A frown formed on her face as she peered outside. "It's still early."</p><p>     "So why are we stopping?" questioned Ron.</p><p>     "I have no clue," replied Alexandra. She slid open the compartment's door to check the corridor.</p><p>     The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons ceased, the rain sounded louder against the windows. Alexandra glanced outside, alongside Harry, who was also close to the door.</p><p>     The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, the lights went out, and they got plunged into total darkness.</p><p>     "What's going on?" said Ron's voice behind Harry.</p><p>     "Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!"</p><p>     "I should go and check it out," said Alexandra stiffly, taking out her wand to cast <em>Lumos</em>.</p><p>     Harry jumped onto his feet and grabbed her by the arm to prevent her from leaving. "I don't think it's a good idea, not even for a prefect..."</p><p>     Harry gave her a jittery look, then went back to his seat. Perhaps Harry had a point. Roaming around the now dark train didn't come off as the brightest plan. With that, Alexandra sighed heavily and followed the green-eyed boy.</p><p>     "D'you think we've broken down, Alexandra?" asked Harry as she sat beside him.</p><p>     "No, I don't think so..."</p><p>     Alexandra, in all seriousness, had no clue why the Hogwarts Express came to a halt. But they couldn't have broken down. It sounded too farfetched.</p><p>    A squeaking sound caught Alexandra's attention. She saw Ron wiping the steam on the window and peering outside.</p><p>     "Something is moving out there," said Ron. "I think people are coming aboard..."</p><p>     The compartments door slid open, and someone entered. "Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry —"</p><p>     Neville bumped into Alexandra, who sat close to the door, and made her drop her wand. She yelped fearfully at the loss of her wand. She tried to locate it in the pitch-black compartment.</p><p>     "Hello, Neville," said Harry.</p><p>     "Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"</p><p>     Alexandra spotted a branch-like object laying on the floor. Her face broke into a triumph grin once she recognised that it was her wand. She seized it before someone cracked it by stepping on it.</p><p>     "No idea! Sit down —" There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain. Neville had tried to sit on the big, ginger cat that could get mistaken for a miniature tiger.</p><p>     "All right, I'm going to see what's going on," said Alexandra, standing up from her seat.</p><p>     "I'll come with you," said Hermione from behind.</p><p>     "No, you will wait here."</p><p>     Alexandra slid open the door, and just as she stepped out, she bumped into someone.</p><p>     "Who's that?" Alexandra squealed in pain.</p><p>     "Who's <em>that</em>?" said an equally pained voice.</p><p>     "Ginny?" inquired Hermione.</p><p>     "Hermione?" replied Ginny.</p><p>     "I'm <em>Alexandra, </em>not Hermione. She's behind me," corrected Alexandra.</p><p>     "Oh, um, sorry." she heard Ginny say. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>     "I should be asking you the same."</p><p>     "I was looking for Ron."</p><p>     "Oh, I came to see Harry. Come and sit down. I'll see what's going on," said Alexandra.</p><p>     "Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!"</p><p>     "Ouch!" said a voice, which Alexandra assumed to be Neville.</p><p>     "Quiet!" said a hoarse voice all of a sudden. "And no one's leaving."</p><p>     Alexandra's head snapped in the direction of the voice. The voice was unfamiliar, which led her to believe that it belonged to the asleep Professor.</p><p>     There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. The Professor appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, grey face, but his eyes looked alert and cautious.</p><p>     He signalled her to back away from the door. Alexandra, noticing how serious he looked, retreated beside Hermione without getting the man to repeat himself.</p><p>     "Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he slowly got up to his feet with his fire held out in front of him. But something came through the door before he could reach it.</p><p>     At the door stood a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling, its face completely hidden. Alexandra was horrified by the creature ahead of her. An intense cold swept over them, and she felt drained from all the happiness in the world, all of her pleasant memories suddenly forgotten.</p><p>     The coaked figure passed by her, and to who she assumed, to be its victim.</p><p>     The Professor walked past Harry and said, "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go!"</p><p>     The cloaked figure didn't flinch. Instead, it seemed to be sucking out all the happiness in the room.</p><p>     The Professor drew out his wand and pointed it at the creature. He muttered an incantation Alexandra couldn't make out, which produced a powerful, silvery light that drew off the cloaked figure.</p><p>     Alexandra heard a loud <em>thud</em>. She looked around to see what that noise was, and to her horror, she saw Harry Potter laying still on the ground. Alexandra gasped as Ron and Hermione rushed to kneel beside him.</p><p>     Soon the lights flickered back. The noise of the engine reappeared, muffling the sound of rain hard against the window. The Professor diminished the flames in his hand.</p><p>     He moved his concerned gaze from Harry to Alexandra. It looked like seeing her troubled him far more than the blacked-out Harry, with his wide-open hazel eyes inspecting her.</p><p>     "Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" said Hermione apprehensively. She was slapping his face to get him awake.</p><p>     "W-what?" he muttered.</p><p>     Harry took a moment to recompose himself. Then, Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat.</p><p>     "Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.</p><p>     "Yeah," said Harry. "What happened? Where's that — that thing? Who screamed?"</p><p>     "No one screamed," said Ron, his muscles tensing at Harry's words.</p><p>     "But I heard screaming —"</p><p>     A loud snap made them all jump. Alexandra's head turned towards the voice in an instant, afraid that the cloaked figure was back. Instead, she saw the Professor breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.</p><p>     "Here," he said to Harry, handing him a large piece of chocolate. "Eat. It'll help."</p><p>     "Er — Mr Professor, sir," said Alexandra after finally regaining her voice. "May I ask what that <em>thing </em>was?"</p><p>     He seemed disappointed by the way Alexandra regarded him.</p><p>     "A Dementor," said the Professor, who was now giving chocolate to everyone else. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban."</p><p>     A Dementor from Azkaban...</p><p>     It must have been searching for Sirius Black. But that didn't answer why it came to their compartment.</p><p>     The Professor crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket. "Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."</p><p>      Then it hit Alexandra.</p><p>     "Professor!" Alexandra shouted behind the man, who had disappeared into the corridor. She sped after him. "Professor!"</p><p>     Alexandra caught up to him a few compartments ahead. He had stopped to wait for her.</p><p>     "Forgive me for bothering you, sir, but I need to ask you a question," said Alexandra. Then she pointed to her prefect badge. "I have permission to be out, too. I should find the other prefects any way."</p><p>     The man looked impressed. "Of course, Alexandra. I'm listening."</p><p>     In the heat of the moment, Alexandra didn't question how the Professor knew her name.</p><p>     "That thing, the Dementor, is one of the guards of Azkaban. It must've been looking for Sirius Black, and well," she couldn't bring herself to call him father. "I happen to be related to him. What I'm trying to say is, was I the reason why it came there in the first place?"</p><p>     He hummed thoughtfully. "No, I don't think so. I believe it to be a coincidence that you happened to be in the same compartment it came to."</p><p>     Alexandra nodded in acknowledgement, though she didn't seem all convinced.</p><p>     "I suspect you'd need to return to your prefect duties," he said with a small smile.</p><p>     "Oh, right..." Her prefect duties had slipped off her mind after the encounter with the Dementor. "I better go, then. Thank you for your time, sir."</p><p>     It didn't take long for Alexandra to spot Liam on the train. She hadn't realised that she was shaking until he pointed it out. And so, she told him what happened with the Dementor.</p><p>     "Blimey," he mumbled, "This is not how I imagined my first day as a prefect would go."</p><p>     "Have you seen it too? The Dementor, I mean," asked Alexandra. The troubled look on his face led her to believe that she wasn't the only one to experience a Dementor.</p><p>     "Yes. I was trying to calm a bunch of first-years when it passed by our compartment," replied Liam shakily. "All of a sudden, the air surrounding us got chilly, and it felt like —"</p><p>     "— All the happiness in the world suddenly vanished?" finished Alexandra grimly.</p><p>     "Yeah..."</p><p>     A deafening silence fell over the two prefects while they patrolled the train. Every now and then, they'd have to assure the younger students that all was fine.</p><p>     "Mind if I check on my friends?" asked Alexandra with a hollow voice, breaking the silence circling them.</p><p>     "Yeah, sure thing. We're almost there, too. I expect our shift to be over," replied Liam Bryne.</p><p>     "Oh, all right. I'll see you in the feast then, Bryne."</p><p>     "See you in the feast, Black!" he called before departing ways. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Playdate with the Dementors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remus gets to learn biased information about the girl he hadn't heard of in years, and Alexandra comes to the verge of hexing Fred to oblivion.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexandra shivered on the muddy platform huddled with students. She, alongside her friends, hurried onto the rough mud track where stagecoaches awaited the students. They climbed into the first stagecoach they came across.</p><p>     Inside, sat their new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. He tore his eyes away from the tiny window to the students now in front of him.</p><p>      "Oh, um, hello Professor," greeted Alexandra, finding their last few encounters rather odd.</p><p>     "Hello, Miss Black," he replied with a faint smile. He turned to the boys beside her with an odd expression. He almost seemed like he was eying the boys. "And who are these young gentlemen?"</p><p>     "I'm Lee Jordan, sir."</p><p>     "Fred Weasley and —"</p><p>     "— George Weasley, sir!" </p><p>     "It's a pleasure to meet you," said the Professor. "I'm Professor Lupin. I'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year."</p><p>     From the look on their faces, Alexandra could tell that the boys were wondering just how long the new professor would last.</p><p>     Professor Lupin shut the door, and the coach set off. They remained silent for the rest of the trip, neither knowing what the talk in the others' presence. </p><p>     Alexandra leaned to the tiny window on her side, watching the iron gates of the castle near. There, she noticed two cloaked Dementors guarding either side of the gates. A wave of sadness washed over at the sight of them, and she instantly sank back to her seat to diminish the effects of the Dementors.</p><p>     "Professor, do you know why the Dementors are here?" she asked breathlessly.</p><p>     The Professor sighed. "I'm afraid they've got appointed to guard Hogwarts."</p><p>     "Because the school houses students who happen to be Sirius Black's main targets?" asked Alexandra. Professor Lupin nodded silently.</p><p>     Alexandra sank deeper into her seat. She couldn't help but feel as if this all was her fault. She felt guilty, from merely existing, by sharing his blood. Guilty for the massacre he had committed and the families he had torn. And now, seeing the Dementors guarding the school, proved it was her fault that they were there. If not for her, Harry wouldn't have gotten attacked, and the Dementors wouldn't have been sucking out the joy surrounding Hogwarts. Suddenly, the Hogwarts castle didn't bring the comfort it once displayed.</p><p>     When the carriage came to a halt, a drawing voice tore her from her suffocating thoughts. </p><p>     "Is that Malfoy?" said Fred distastefully. He opened the door and got out with George and Lee to see what was happening.</p><p>     "Bloody hell..." muttered Alexandra, pinching her nose in irritation. Draco sounded delighted, and his voice showed hints of emotion only when he was taunting Harry Potter and his friends.</p><p>     Professor Lupin caught the annoyed look on the boys' faces and got out to see what was wrong. </p><p>     "Is there a problem?" said Professor Lupin with a mild tone. Alexandra followed his suit and got out of the carriage. </p><p>     Draco gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the shabby suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no — er — <em>Professor</em>." </p><p>     He was about to lead Crabbe and Goyle into the steps of the castle before he spotted Alexandra. He paused to ask, "Enjoyed our party, cousin? Couldn't find you after you disappeared with Avery."</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't help but catch the twins' eye and snorted.</p><p>     "From what we've heard, she enjoyed it well." Fred teased.</p><p>     Alexandra's eyes widened at Fred's words, realising how wrong it sounded. She knew that that was what Fred's aim was, to make it sound like she and Avery shagged. But the truth was far from it, and Alexandra knew that what she and Cassius had was nothing more than a great friendship.</p><p>     Then a sudden intrusive thought popped inside her head. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was standing near them. She couldn't help but glance back at her newly-appointed teacher, desperately hoping that he didn't catch what Fred said. But to her horror, he looked stiffened, confirming that he did hear Fred.</p><p>     Alexandra jaw clenched, aching to hex Fred for embarrassing her in front of their new teacher. The exposure surely wouldn't leave a solid first impression on the teacher.</p><p>     "Piss off, Fred!" </p><p>     With a shake of her head, Alexandra moved towards the castle, ignoring Draco's bewildered stare. Lee and the twins hurried behind to catch up to her. Soon, the four of them entered the crowd clustering around that entered the Entrance Hall.</p><p>     They moved to the Great Hall, where the Welcoming Feast got served. Even the muffled chattering coming from the hall was enough to unnerve Alexandra. The students wouldn't react pleasantly at the sight of Sirius Black's child, would they?</p><p>     Alexandra was grateful that the attention was on Harry Potter, who had passed out on the train rather than her. But her relief was short-lived.</p><p>     "Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I've got a few things to say, as one of them is quite serious. I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast."</p><p>     Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."</p><p>     Alexandra's eyes widened. The realisation of the threat Sirius Black bore hit her like a ton of bricks, and she wondered why she was so hopeful with the man before. Something shattered deep within her, but it certainly wasn't her heart. She didn't know the man; therefore, she held no affection towards him that he could shatter.</p><p>     "They got stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission." The twins exchanged a quick look at his remark. </p><p>     "Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. Therefore, I warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," said Dumbledore.</p><p>     Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody dared to make a move or a sound. He stole a quick look at Alexandra specifically, which she didn't miss. The pregnant pause of Dumbledore only disturbed her further. </p><p>     "On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."</p><p>     There was rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, but Alexandra wasn't among them. She was busy scanning Professor Lupin's threadbare clothing. Now that he was next to all the other teachers, who were in their best robes, she noticed how torn his clothes looked. </p><p>     "As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will get filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."</p><p>     Alexandra joined in with the applause alongside the twins, who's grin reached up to their eyes in pure delight. They had annoyed Hagrid multiple times by running off to the Forbidden Forest and seemingly, couldn't wait to do more now that he became their teacher. </p><p>     "Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"</p><p>     The golden plates and goblets before them got flooded with foods and drinks. Students all around dived into the food, but Alexandra couldn't find the same enthusiasm in her. Her appetite had vanished at the mention of her father. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but grab a pudding.</p><p>     Being surrounded by students reminded her that she was now a fifth-year, with the additional responsibility of being a prefect. She had far more important matters to focus on than the Azkaban escapee. </p><p>     "Earth to Aly," Fred waved a hand to her face, making her jump in surprise. "Are you going to eat that pudding or not?"</p><p>     "What pudding?" asked Alexandra with a startled tone.</p><p>     "The untouched one in front of you. May I have it?"</p><p>     Alexandra looked down to her plate and saw the untouched pudding. "Oh. Sure, go on," she said absentmindedly.</p><p>     At long last, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time to head to their Houses.</p><p>     Alexandra abruptly stood up from her seat to lead the first-years to the Gryffindor Tower. Liam was waiting for the first-years to gather around the other Gryffindor prefects. </p><p>     "First-years, follow me!" called a sixth-year prefect.</p><p>     Liam and Alexandra got tasked to watch the first-years left behind. Together, they streamed up the marble staircase that led to the Fat Lady's portrait, which was the hidden passage to the Gryffindor Tower.</p><p>     "Password?" asked the Fat Lady.</p><p>     "Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's <em>Fortuna Major</em>!"</p><p>     The portrait swung open to reveal the Gryffindor Tower, and the first-years examined it with astonishment. Alexandra couldn't blame them; after all, it truly was captivating with its homey atmosphere.</p><p>   Alexandra was helping the first-years when she spotted a boy struggling with his tie. He was standing at the back of the crowd, trying to unknot it. With a sympathetic smile on her face, Alexandra approached the first-year.</p><p>     "Need help?" she inquired. The boy jumped lightly and instantly let go of his tie.</p><p>     "With what?" he responded cooly, acting as if his knotted tie wasn't dangling from his neck.</p><p>     Alexandra pointed his tie. "With untangling it." A small chuckle escaped her lips when the boy's cheeks flushed as he glanced down at it. "And show you how to tie it properly."</p><p>     He swallowed tickly and said, "Well... perhaps I could <em>use </em>a small demonstration."</p><p>     Alexandra gently untied his tie and took it off. She handed him his tie then proceeded to take hers off to show him how to tie a tie. </p><p>     "Watch closely," said Alexandra. She went on to show him how she tied her tie. The boy watched with amazement at how she did it so effortlessly.</p><p>     "Don't think I could ever do it as effortlessly as you," he muttered when it was his turn to tie it. </p><p>     "Nonsense," replied Alexandra, patting his shoulder assuringly. "I'm certain you'll be able to do it. It just takes some practice."</p><p>     The boy glanced down at his tie, unconvinced.</p><p>     "Oh, c'mon! I'm rooting for you." </p><p>     With one last look at Alexandra, the first-year raised his tie to his neck. Slowly, he repeated what Alexandra had shown to him moments ago. </p><p>     Alexandra grinned when he did it correctly. "See, that wasn't hard, was it?"</p><p>    "But what if I can't get it right tomorrow?" he asked, looking frantically between her and his tie.</p><p>     "Well, if that happens, you can find me, and I'll show you again," she replied. "Now up to your bed, or else you'll get me in trouble for keeping you down."</p><p>     He nodded. As he was about to leave, he stopped. "You're his daughter, that Sirius Black, right?" he asked rather insolently.</p><p>     "Er, yes. I am a Black."</p><p>     He nodded once more and marched up to the boys' dormitory to join his peers.</p><p>     Alycia appeared beside Alexandra with a pleading look on her face.</p><p>     "I'm so, <em>so </em>sorry for what my brother asked," said Alycia tiredly. "He can be a real pain in the arse."</p><p>     "It's all right, Alycia. He meant no harm," Alexandra assured the bushy-haired girl.</p><p>     "I can't believe that he'd ask something like that so — so insolently."</p><p>     Alexandra chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Alycia. As I said, it's fine."</p><p>     "How can you stay calm about it? I'd have hexed someone by now if I were you," said Alycia in astonishment.</p><p>     "Oh, I don't know. Suppose I'm used to it by now," Alexandra replied nonchalantly. "But I suspect I'll end up hexing someone by the end of the year."</p><p>     Alycia gasped jokingly, "Oh my, better get you up to bed before you betray your prefect duties."</p><p>     They headed up to their dormitory. Upon arrival, Alexandra saw that Vela was out of her basket and on her four-poster bed, sleeping. </p><p>     "We were starting to wonder where you two ran off to," said Maya with a grin. "Oh, and Alexandra, I was the one to take Vela out of her basket. She seemed quite raged in there."</p><p>     "Oh, thank you, Maya," said Alexandra. "She's still sour for being locked up in her basket for a long time on the train."</p><p>     Alexandra glanced back at her furry cat, who was sleeping peacefully on her bed. </p><p>     "Speaking of the train," Angelina began. "You saw that Dementor too, right, Alexandra?"</p><p>     "I've seen them all right," she replied grimly. "They came into our —<em> well Harry's</em> — compartment."</p><p>     "WHAT?" shrieked Alycia beside her. "You've faced a Dementor — like a <em>literal </em>Dementor?"</p><p>     "Not voluntarily, no." Alexandra shivered at the image of the cloaked figures. "But it was not me who faced it. It was Professor Lupin. He was the one to get rid of it."</p><p>     Alycia gasped before rushing to bring Alexandra into a hug. Alexandra stilled at the contact, both for the unexpected physical touch and the suddenness of the friendly endeavour Alycia displayed for her. </p><p>     "Dad told me much about them, the Dementors. He works with them y'know, so he has to endure them a lot," said Alycia. </p><p>     "It's all right," muttered Alexandra. In all honesty, she had far worse concerns than the Dementors.</p><p>     "Angelina, Maya, come here! This girl needs a hug!" stated Alycia without pulling away.</p><p>     Alexandra didn't have time to protest, seeing as she got tackled into a group hug by the Gryffindor girls. </p><p>     "Now, to bed, Miss Prefect! You need a good sleep after today's events," Alycia ordered as the girls pulled back. </p><p>     "And, well..." Alycia's voice lowered, "I wanted to thank you for helping my brother."</p><p>     "It's my duty to be kind, Alycia. Don't mention it," replied Alexandra with a small smile on her face.</p><p>     Alycia smiled back, but her face hardened in an instant. She slapped Alexandra's arm and said, "Bed. <em>Now</em>!"</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't forget to leave your reviews regarding both the story and the chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Stars and Planets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Turns out George Weasley does enjoy a few House of Black traditions.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Alexandra came down to the Great Hall in a foul mood. Trying to sleep with an empty stomach proved to be a futile try.</p><p>     Alexandra and Maya dropped themselves into seats across the twins. Alexandra piled up her plate with food, not batting an eye to the boys.</p><p>     "What's up with you?" asked George while passing the girls their new timetables. </p><p>     "Nothing," she replied without diverting her attention from her plate.</p><p>     George frowned but decided not to push his friend to talk. Not much later, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall. Harry and Ron dropped themselves to the seats beside George while Hermione sat beside Alexandra.</p><p>    "New third-year course schedules," said George, passing their timetables. "What's wrong, Harry?"</p><p>     "Malfoy," said Ron, glaring over at the Slytherin table. George looked up just in time to see Draco pretending to collapse with terror again.</p><p>     "That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"</p><p>     "Nearly wet himself," said Fred with a scornful glance at Draco.</p><p>     "I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those Dementors..."</p><p>     "Sort of freezes your insides, don't they?" said Fred.</p><p>     "You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice.</p><p>     "Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been.  He came back all weak and shaking. They suck the happiness out, those Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't hold back a scoff at George's statement. If Mr Weasley, who spent a brief time in Azkaban for obligations, came out all shaking, she didn't wish to imagine how Sirius Black turned out. He had spent more than a decade inside Azkaban. Merlin knew just how dangerous he was now. </p><p>     George's gaze fell upon Alexandra, who busied herself with food. It had slipped off his mind that her father spent twelve years in Azkaban and was on the run. Even the thought was enough to send shivers down to his spine, and he felt guilty for bringing such a topic near Alexandra.</p><p>     Fred cleared his throat. "We'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the first game of the season, remember?"</p><p>     Harry seemed slightly cheerful after Fred's words. He had beaten Draco in a humiliating way last year. And seemingly, it amused Harry to think about it.</p><p>     "So, Aly," began Maya, "What's your first class?"</p><p>     Alexandra ripped her gaze from her plate to the timetable next to it. She inspected it with a bitter look and said, "Defence Against the Dark Arts."</p><p>     "Ooh, me too!" said Maya, attempting to cheer up her friend. "Shall we go together?"</p><p>     "Yeah, sure."</p><p>     They quickly finished their breakfast, bit goodbye to the twins (in which Alexandra appeared bored), and headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.</p><p>     Professor Lupin was inside the classroom, waiting for the students when Maya and Alexandra entered. They settled down and took out their books and quills like how they used to do with Lockhart. Soon, the room was packed fifth-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.</p><p>     When Cedric Diggory, a good-looking Hufflepuff famous for his mannerism, entered, Maya let out a muffled squeak and elbowed Alexandra.</p><p>     "Look at him! How does one get so <em>fit </em>over the summer!" Maya whispered dreamily. </p><p>     Alexandra looked towards the door, where Cedric Diggory stood. He was chatting with his friends while searching for a place to sit. Alexandra had to admit, Cedric certainly was a good-looking bloke.</p><p>     Behind Cedric entered Fred and George. Now that Alexandra was inspecting carefully, she noted that they, too, had grown taller over the course of summer; their ginger hair well past their ear. </p><p>     "Good morning." Lupin smiled vaguely at his students. Alexandra noticed that he looked healthier than the day before. Well, that was reasonable. Hogwarts did seem to brighten up its residents.</p><p>   "Before we begin today's class, I'd like to talk about your upcoming OWLs," said Professor Lupin. Students groaned at the mention of their upcoming examination. "I expect you're tired of hearing these but, after this year, you will be receiving NEWT level classes. I don't doubt that you all will exceed in the examination; however, in order to take Defence Against the Dark Arts in the following years, you must receive at least an <em>'Acceptable' </em>from your OWLs.</p><p>     "Now that the dull speech is over, we can begin our lesson..."</p><p>     Maya's bubbly personality and constant enthusiasm were rubbing on Alexandra as the days went on. By Thursday, she was back to her cheery persona until an owl dropped the <em>Daily Prophet</em> beside her plate.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">BLACK SPOTTED!</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Startling news has recently come to light that the notorious mass murdered Sirius Black, indeed, has been sighted. </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>"We did receive a call from the Muggle Prime Minister regarding Black's whereabouts. The police (the Muggle version of Auror teams) has received a phone call from a lady in Scotland about the fugitive on the news, Sirius Black!</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>"  said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, in the late afternoon.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>"Of course, they only think of him as an average criminal, for that is why she phoned the police. However, by the time our Auror team reached the exact location, none was found of Black.</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>" said an annoyed Fudge.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>"It could all be a great misunderstanding, too, yet the Ministry is digging closer to the supposed sighting. Nothing is confirmed yet. Nevertheless, we beg the magical community to remain calm in these troubled times,</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>" stated Fudge.</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>
      <br/>
    </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Cornelius Fudge has gotten criticised for informing the Muggle Prime Minister regarding the killer on the loose. Nevertheless, the data coming from the Muggles seem to display great importance on catching Black.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>     The colour on Alexandra's face faded once she finished reading the <em>Daily Prophet</em>. It frightened her to think of just how close Black was now that he got spotted in Scotland.</p><p>     Then, she realised that he got sighted around the Muggles. Merlin knew what he could've done to them. He was a murderer, a mass murderer responsible for the infamous massacre. </p><p>     George ebbed closer to see what Alexandra was reading. The smirk on his face fell instantly at the sight of the gigantic letters that read <em>Black Spotted!</em> </p><p>     He carefully snatched the paper out of her grasp. He read through the article in an attempt to see what they meant by locating Black, and his stomach dropped. Sirius Black had gotten spotted for good, close to Hogwarts. If he hadn't been worried about her earlier, he certainly was now. </p><p>     He glanced back at Alexandra, who was stuffing her mouth, to not converse with others.</p><p>     "<em>The Daily Prophet</em>, is it?" asked Seamus Finnigan, a third-year Gryffindor. "Where d'you get it?"</p><p>     Alexandra swallowed her food. "No clue. Just dropped down by my plate."</p><p>     Seamus nodded in acknowledgement, then asked, "May I have a look?"</p><p>     Alexandra was reluctant to lend the paper at first, nervous of the reactions she would receive. Then, she realised that they'd hear about it soon enough and gave it to her third-year housemate. Sirius Black had turned into a truth she could not escape.</p><p>     "I better head to Potions," she grumbled and got up from her seat. </p><p>     "Wait for us!" called Fred. He and George jumped onto their feet to catch up to her. </p><p>     And so, they headed down to the dungeons. They settled down to their table as the classroom filled with fifth-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. </p><p>     Not much later, Snape entered the classroom, and the chattering inside died. Snape's repulsive presence was enough to silence the students without a forewarning.</p><p>     "Settle down," said Snape coldly. "Today, you'll be brewing <em>the Draught of Peace</em>, which often comes up in the OWLsyou'll receive in June. </p><p>     "The Draught of Peace is a potion commonly used to calm anxiety and to soothe agitation. However, if you're too heavy-handed with the ingredients, you'll put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep. Therefore, you will have to pay close attention to what you're doing."</p><p>     Snape flicked his wand, and lines of words appeared on the blackboard. "The ingredients and the method are on the blackboard. You'll find everything you need," Snape flicked his wand again, and the door of the store cupboard swung open. "in the store cupboard. You have an hour and a half to finish your potion. Start."</p><p>     Alexandra looked back and forth between the twins and shot up to get the ingredients from the said cupboard. She examined the method written on the blackboard and sighed. Of course, Snape would set them up with a tough potion at the very first week of the year.</p><p>     She heard Fred muttering beside her, "Obviously, the git would give the hardest one to brew..."</p><p>      The Draught of Peace required precision. They had to add the ingredients to the cauldron in the right order and quantities, or else it could result in permanent slumber. The mixture had to get stirred the exact number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in counterclockwise directions. The heat of the flames, on which it boiled, had to reduce to the right level before adding the final ingredient. </p><p>     "A light silver vapour should be rising from your potion by now," called Snape, ten minutes before the end of their given time.</p><p>     Alexandra gave her potion one last stir, and a small, triumph smirk etched on her face. A shimmering silver vapour was rising from her cauldron. </p><p>     Fred groaned as a blue-ish vapour rose from his potion. Alexandra turned towards his cauldron and inspected it. </p><p>     "You sure of putting seven drops of hellebore?" she asked quietly.</p><p>     "Obviously! I can read the board, mind you," hissed Fred.</p><p>     "Then perhaps you've forgotten how to count," stated Alexandra. She grabbed the Hellebore Syrup and added two more drops of it.</p><p>     "Are you barking mad — !"</p><p>     Alexandra gave the mixture another stir, and slowly, a silvery vapour rose from Fred's cauldron.</p><p>     "Black," said Snape, sounding as if he just won the lottery. "What are you doing over Weasley's cauldron?"</p><p>     Alexandra fell back to her seat and tried to dismiss the look on Snape's face.</p><p>     "Nothing, Professor, I was simply stretching my arms."</p><p>     Snape sneered at her excuse and peered down her cauldron to find a flaw. Much to his distaste, the expected silver vapour was rising from her potion. </p><p>     His face morphed into a frown when he saw the silver vapour rising from Fred's cauldron, too. He flashed an irritated look at the two friends and moved on to the next student he could insult.</p><p>     When Snape was well far from them, Fred turned to Alexandra with a grateful grin on his face.</p><p>     "Thank you for saving me from the git," said Fred.</p><p>     "Don't mention it." she waved him off.</p><p>     The rest of the day went by irritatingly slow, and by midnight, Alexandra was grateful to be attending her last course of the day: Astronomy.</p><p>     To take the classes, students had to head to the Astronomy Tower once the sky darkened. </p><p>     "Any relatives around?" snickered George as he pointed the stars and planets around Jupiter. </p><p>     "Hilarious, George," replied Alexandra flatly. She went back to studying Callisto.</p><p>     George edged closer to Alexandra's notes and copied them down to his.</p><p>     "To be fair, Callisto is the only entertaining planet we've learned so far," said George as a matter-of-factly. </p><p>     Alexandra chuckled. "But there's nothing to it other than being a moon of Jupiter."</p><p>     George shrugged. "Dunno why, but the name sounds appealing." He repeated its name like a mantra. </p><p>     "<em>Callisto. Callisto. Callisto.</em>"</p><p>"Oh, shut up, Weasley," Alexandra slapped his arm. "Some of us are genuinely trying to study here."</p><p>     "<em>Ow</em>! That hurt, love." George rubbed his arm with a fake look of hurt.</p><p>     "If you don't shut up, it will be my book who spanks you next."</p><p>     "All right, all right! No need to get physical!" George smirked. "But honestly, if there are that many stars in the sky — why are you named <em>Alexandra</em>?"</p><p>     George's question startled her. He had a point. Why was she named Alexandra in a family who named their newborns after stars?</p><p>     "Um, I don't know. Guess you'll have to ask my dear father," she tried to joke.</p><p>     George sensed her uneasiness and decided to change to the subject, "Well, I think I know what to name my future daughter now." </p><p>     Alexandra snorted at his untimely remark. "And may I ask what it is?"</p><p>     "Expected it to be obvious, but let me clarify for you; Callisto, of course!"</p><p>     "What, now you're copying my family traditions too?"</p><p>     "As a matter of fact — <em>yes</em>!"</p><p>     Alexandra had to cover her mouth to muffle her laughed. All of her worries felt unexistent when she was beside George Weasley. It seemed absurd how he managed to make her laugh so effortlessly. </p><p>     "I pity whoever's dumb enough to marry you, Weasley."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The Great Black Dog</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Gryffindor team notices a peculiar dog watching their practices.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In no time, Professor Lupin turned the Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons into most students' favourite class. His practical approach to the subject, as well as his kind personality, had drawn students to him. </p><p>     Alexandra was no exception. She found herself enjoying their small conversations here and there, whether it be while patroling or before the start of their lessons.</p><p>     Alexandra only wished that the rest of her classes were as pleasant as Professor Lupin's, specifically Potions. It was not only a sharp increase in the assigned work but Snape's behaviour, too, that made it so intolerable. He had turned into an utterly unbearable person after Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban. </p><p>     Overall, the fifth-year was living up to its terrible reputation. </p><p>     By October, however, she found something other than homework that would occupy her mind; <em>Quidditch</em>. </p><p>     The Quidditch season was fast approaching, and she couldn't have been happier to find a different way to avoid thinking about the criminal on the loose.</p><p>     Oliver Wood, a seventh-year Gryffindor, had called a meeting for the Gryffindor Quidditch team to discuss their tactics. Thankfully, he was wise enough to schedule it on an evening this time.</p><p>     "This is our last chance — <em>my last chance</em> — to win the Quidditch Cup," said Oliver Wood, pacing up and down in front of his fellow team members in the now chilly locker rooms. He had a hint of desperation in his tone as he spoke. "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it.</p><p>     "Gryffindor hasn't won for <em>seven years </em>now. Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world — injuries — then the tournament getting called off last year." he swallowed hard as though the memory still brought a lump to his throat. </p><p>     "But we also know we've got the <em>best — ruddy — team — in — the — school</em>," said Wood, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye. </p><p>     "We've got three <em>superb </em>Chasers."</p><p>     Oliver Wood pointed at Alexandra, Angelina and Katie.</p><p>     "We've got two <em>unbeatable </em>Beaters."</p><p>     "Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," said Fred and George together, pretending to blush.</p><p>     "And we've got a Seeker who has <em>never failed to win us a match</em>!" Wood thundered, looking fiercely at Harry with a raging pride.</p><p>     "And me," he added as an afterthought.</p><p>     "We think you're brilliant, too, Oliver," said George.</p><p>     "Corking good Keeper," said Fred.</p><p>     "Nightmare to Chasers," Alexandra added.</p><p>     "The point is," Wood went on, resuming his pacing, "the Quidditch Cup should have had <em>our name</em> on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll finally get to see our name written on the cup."</p><p>     Wood spoke with such sorrow that even Fred and George looked sympathetic.</p><p>     "Oliver, this year's our year," Fred assured the anxious seventh-year.</p><p>     "We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina with confidence.</p><p>     "Definitely," said Harry.</p><p>     Filled with determination, the Gryffindor Quidditch team started their training sessions three evenings a week, not batting an eye to the weather conditions.</p><p>     Alexandra found herself enjoying those sessions more than she should since the fatigue that came with it prevented her from thinking of the headlines about Sirius Black.</p><p>     As the warm days of October slowly came to an end, Fred and George came up with a plan to sneak into the Forbidden Forest to see if they could <em>obtain </em>a Fire Dwelling Salamander from Hagrid.</p><p>     And so, they told Alexandra their not-so-well-thought plan.</p><p>     "That's completely mental," Alexandra crossed her arms in a manner that resembled an annoyed Percy ready to rat out the twins. Suddenly, a smirk emerged on her serious face. "I'm in."</p><p>     She was down for anything that could break her monotone days. Not that she'd admit that out loud, of course. After all, it was all her doing to keep herself occupied.</p><p>     "I don't have to patrol tonight so, I say we do it <em>tonight</em>!" Alexandra suggested with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. The trio agreed and departed their ways to meet downstairs later that night. </p><p>     Around midnight, Alexandra quietly crept out of her bed and grabbed the thickest cloak she could find in the dim lighting of the room. Then, she tiptoed to the common room, where she would meet the twins. </p><p>     She saw Fred and George sitting on an armchair, waiting for her. Suddenly, her gaze flickered to the ginger cat meowing at her.</p><p>     "Isn't that Hermione's cat? What's he doing down here?" asked Alexandra.</p><p>     "Yeah, that's Crookshanks. But we've got no idea why he's here," answered Fred.</p><p>     "He's been following us all night. Bit cranky, he is," said George.</p><p>     They shrugged off the topic and got out from the Fat Lady's portrait. </p><p>     "We've checked the corridors from the Marauder's Map. It's for the best if we use the shortcut on the third-floor," George told Alexandra, which in response, she nodded. </p><p>     Using the shortcuts, they sneaked out of the castle and into its grounds. They muttered <em>Lumos </em>once the darkness welcomed them outside. Not only that, but the frosty autumn breeze caused them to hold onto their cloaks tighter to stop their shivers.</p><p>     Alexandra was starting to have second thoughts by the time they reached the Forbidden Forest. There was a reason for it to be forbidden and why students stayed away from entering it <em>—</em> especially at night. </p><p>     "Guys," Alexandra began with a low voice, "I'm not sure if this is a good idea... I mean, it's <em>quite </em>cold. And it is night time. Anything could be out <em>there</em>. "</p><p>     Alexandra gestured to the moon, which shimmered boldly in the night sky.</p><p>     "So?" said Fred. "Not backing up from this, are you?"</p><p>     "I wouldn't call it <em>that</em>. I'm just trying to be cautious. Anything could be out tonight."</p><p>     "Don't worry, we won't be leaving your side," assured George. "But if you don't want to do this, we can go back."</p><p>     Alexandra glanced at the Weasley twins. It proved to be particularly hard to distinguish them in the low lighting of the night. </p><p>     Blacks were not quitters. They did not quit until they achieved what they desired, and for that, Walburga taught her to never give up by a minor inconvenience. Perhaps those teachings were the reason why the House of Black had been in Slytherin for generations.</p><p>     Alexandra had to toughen up and enter that bloody forest. She was a Gryffindor, and she sure had to start acting like one.</p><p>     What could possibly go wrong, anyway? They were only going to visit Hagrid's Hut.</p><p>     "No, I'm coming with you two," she said firmly, but it sounded more like a vain attempt to convince herself.</p><p>     There was a route directly to Hagrid's Hut without the need of entering the Forbidden Forest, yes, but where was the fun in that? Not to mention the likeliness it would raise for them to get caught by Hagrid if they ever dared to take to the safe route.</p><p>     And so, they entered the Forbidden Forest, clutching to their wands for the simple feeling of safety it bore. </p><p>     Soon, they reached the back of Hagrid's Hut, where they believed to find the Fire Dwelling Salamanders. They quickly kneeled behind the nearest oak tree they could spot to go over their plan.</p><p>     George took out the Marauder's Map and tapped over it with his wand.</p><p>     "<em>I solemnly swear that I am up to no good</em>."</p><p>     Lines of ink moved around the old parchment and formed the words they had gotten familiar with over the years; </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs</b>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <b>THE MARAUDER'S MAP</b>
</p><p> </p><p>     "Hagrid's not in his hut. You've got a clear shot at it," said George, carefully inspecting the map. "We will be waiting for you here."</p><p>     "All right," Fred stood up. "Stay safe."</p><p>     "You too," said Alexandra.</p><p>     Fred flashed a quick grin at her, then moved towards Hagrid's Hut. </p><p>     George and Alexandra sat to the ground, leaned over to the oak tree, and waited in silence until a piercing rustling sound came from the nearest bush.</p><p>     Alexandra instantly jumped onto her feet. "What was that?" she whispered anxiously.</p><p>     George opened his mouth to dismiss her before he also heard the rustling sound. Furrowing his eyebrows, he slowly rose from the ground. </p><p>     Alexandra took a shaky step towards the bush, tightly holding on to her wand to light her way. Even with the Lumos Charm, she could hardly make out the hulking outline of something huge, with wide, gleaming eyes.</p><p>     She immediately drew back her wand and muttered <em>Nox</em>. Her heart was thumping painfully fast, and she found herself unable to move her eyes from the bush. Panic overtook her, and in an instant, her mind switched to the fight or flight mode.</p><p>     She could fight <em>whatever that thing</em> <em>was</em>, right? No, that was too risky. What if it made a fast movement to hurl her to the ground before she had time to cast an offensive spell? If so, why hadn't it made a move towards them already? </p><p>     Nothing seemed to add up.</p><p>     "Shite..." she muttered. Why had she agreed to wander around the forest in the first place?</p><p>     Alexandra's head snapped in George's direction. He was still clutching to his wand, illuminating their surroundings, and she was able to make out his concerned features.</p><p>     "Run!" shouted Alexandra.</p><p>     In an instant, George grabbed her hand and guided them out of the forest. He had muttered <em>Nox </em>on the way in hopes of not being tracked.</p><p>     They ran as far as they could until their legs couldn't carry them. They collapsed onto the hard ground, gazing up in the sky, as they tried to catch their breaths. The Whomping Willow was visible from where they laid, and it certainly didn't help Alexandra's already panicked state. </p><p>     As if he just remembered something in great importance, George started to stir his pockets. When he couldn't locate whatever he was searching for, he straightened himself up with a frightened look on his face. </p><p>     "What's wrong?" asked Alexandra.</p><p>     "The map," said George grimly. "It's gone! I must've dropped it along the way."</p><p>     Alexandra jolted up in surprise. "WHAT?" </p><p>     George clumsily stood up to his feet, Alexandra following his suit. "How could you lose the map? That thing is priceless <em>— and probably illegal! </em>If someone finds it before us, we're doomed!"</p><p>     "I don't know, all right? It must have slipped off my pocket while we were running," said George, trying to defend himself. </p><p>     They hurried towards Hagrid's Hut, hoping to locate the Marauder's Map, but to no avail. The only thing they found was a perplexed Fred Weasley.</p><p>     "What happened?" he asked hurriedly. "I heard you shouting, Aly. Are you all right?"</p><p>     "I will be if we can find that bloody map!" Alexandra fumed.</p><p>     Fred tightened his hold on the Fire Dwelling Salamander from the shock of her statement. </p><p>     "Hold on <em>— </em>you lost the WHAT?!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Days went by, and there was still no sign of the map. The trio looked all around the grounds, but it was fruitless. It felt as if the Marauder's Map had dissolved into thin air. </p><p>     The lack of knowledge they possessed regarding its location was causing them to grow frustrated.</p><p>     One evening, once the Gryffindor Quidditch team finished training for the day, Angelina pointed to a dark figure watching them from the stands. </p><p>     Alexandra turned to the stands, bubbling with curiosity, to see the person watching them in the frosty evening. Much to her surprise, the dark figure wasn't a person but a black dog.</p><p>     "Ah yes," said Oliver Wood in a bored tone. "That dog has been watching us for the past day. Bit suspicious, I must say."</p><p>     Alexandra smirked broadly at him. "What, d'you reckon having an unregistered Animagi in Hogwarts who spies on us?"</p><p>     "I'm just <em>suggesting possibilities</em>! You never know what to expect from those Slytherins."</p><p>     Alexandra snorted at his ridiculous remark. She found Oliver Wood's constant paranoia of being spied quite amusing.</p><p>     "Well, guess we'll have to check whether the dog's indeed a spy," said Angelina.</p><p>     She landed near the dog, Katie and Alexandra following her behind. </p><p>     "Hello, there," cooed Katie, moving closer to the great, black dog.</p><p>     The dog wagged his tail playfully at the Gryffindor Chasers as they watched him in awe. Katie took another step and kneeled beside the dog to scratch its shaggy fur.</p><p>     "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" said Katie, a small smile etched on her lips as she played with the dog. Soon, the rest of the Gryffindor team was on the stands, watching the black dog.</p><p>     Katie turned towards her fellow Chaser and said, "He's terribly skinny <em>—</em> almost as if he's been starving for months."</p><p>     "What's he doing in Hogwarts, anyway?" asked Harry from behind. The dog's ears quirked up in anticipation when he caught Harry's voice.</p><p>     "He's probably just hungry," replied Angelina sorrowfully, examining the dog's skinny figure.</p><p>     The dog made a move towards Alexandra, nudged her leg with his snout, and sat down. He looked at her expectantly, almost begging for her attention.</p><p>     She kneeled to scratch his fur, which he happily complied.</p><p>     "Guess he's not an Animagi in disguise, Oliver," teased Alexandra. She could've sworn to feel him tense after her words to mock Oliver Wood. </p><p>     One by one, the Gryffindor Chasers bit the mysterious black dog goodbye and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. </p><p>     On the way to the tower, the twins did everything to mock how Oliver Wood believed that a simple dog was actually an Animagi. </p><p>     They entered through the portrait of Fat Lady, only to find the common room buzzing with excitement. </p><p>     "What's happened?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione, who were sitting by the fireplace. </p><p>     "First Hogsmeade weekend," replied Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."</p><p>     "Excellent," said Fred beside Harry. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."</p><p>     Alexandra had opened her mouth to bid the twins goodnight when Crookshanks suddenly jumped on to Hermione's lap, staring insolently at Ron.</p><p>     "Oh, hello to you too, Crookshanks," said Hermione as the ginger cat flicked the end of his bushy tail.</p><p>     Then, without warning, Crookshanks pounced over to Ron, making his shriek eerily similar to Walburga's.</p><p>     "OI!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws inside and began tearing it. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"</p><p>     Ron attempted to pull his bag away from Crookshanks, which made him hold on tighter, spitting and slashing it with more ferocity.</p><p>     "Ron, don't hurt him!" cried Hermione. </p><p>     Alexandra watched the ordeal with wide eyes, curious of the outcome. She could sense the twins, as well as the rest of the Gryffindors, following Crookshanks' oddly wild demeanour.</p><p>     Then, Ron managed to whirl his bag around while Crookshanks was still gripping it, and Scabbers came flying out of the bag.</p><p>     "CATCH THAT CAT!" shouted Ron as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of Ron's bag and sprang over to chase after the horrified Scabbers.</p><p>     George made a dive towards the ginger cat in hopes of catching him but failed. Scabbers continued to run inside the common room as Crookshanks trailed after him. </p><p>     Alexandra noticed that Ron was watching Crookshanks with wide, almost murderous eyes. She couldn't help but feel terrible for the cat, as it was in his nature to chase after rats. </p><p>     And so, seeking to reach to the ginger cat before an enraged Ron did, Alexandra sprinted after Crookshanks, and with great difficulty, she managed to lift him to her chest. Then, she began to stroke his ginger fur, a gesture that always managed to calm her cat.</p><p>     "Look at him!" said Ron angrily to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"</p><p>     Crookshanks was squirming in Alexandra's grasp, and with his every attempt to escape, she held him tighter. After a while, it seemed as he had finally given up trying to flee and nuzzled at her hold.</p><p>     "Crookshanks doesn't understand that it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice trembling. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"</p><p>     "There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, trying to move a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"</p><p>     "Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron. How else d'you think —"</p><p>     "That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were beginning to giggle. "And Scabbers was here first, and he's ill!"</p><p>     Ron didn't let Hermione try and talk him out of his ignorant mindset and marched to his dormitory.</p><p>     Once Ron was out of sight, Hermione let out a sob-like sigh and turned to her cat. "I don't get why you're obsessed with Scabbers, Crookshanks. There must be plenty of other rats to chase!"</p><p>     "You said it yourself, Hermione," Alexandra gave the bushy-haired girl a sympathetic smile. "Cats chase rats. It's in his nature."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave kudos and comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. The Flight of the Fat Lady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sirius Black breaks into Hogwarts, causing chaos within the castle walls.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With Haloween, came the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. However, there was still no sign of the map, and the trio was losing their hopes ever of finding it.</p><p>     "From the bright side, it's not like we don't already know our way around," said George, trying to ease the situation.</p><p>     Fred and Alexandra shared an irritated look after George's remark.</p><p>     "You're only making it worse, mate," Lee patted George's back as they walked to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was checking off names against a long list. </p><p>     "I'll see you guys later," said Alexandra once they reached the entrance hall's high doors.</p><p>     "Wait — where are you going? I thought you were coming with us!" said George.</p><p>     "No, she's coming with me," said a gentle voice behind them. </p><p>     They turned around, boys with a frown on their face and Alexandra with a grin. Maya was standing behind them, arms crossed, with her unruly hair bouncing atop her shoulders.</p><p>     "Valley?" </p><p>     "Yes, Weasley," said Maya. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'd like to spend some time with my best friend."</p><p>     Alexandra bit them good luck before entering the line of students waiting to get checked out of Filch's list.</p><p>     When it was finally Maya and Alexandra's turn to get checked out, Filch snarled at Alexandra suspiciously.</p><p>     "Caught you, Black! No one sneaks out on my watch!" he spat. "No permission, no Hogsmeade!" </p><p>     Alexandra glanced at Maya, who struggled to keep a straight face, and then back to Filch. "But I do have permission, sir. And I've been waiting on the line, too."</p><p>     With a furious glare, Filch's head snapped at his list of names. Alexandra, <em>and the rest of the school</em>, believed that Filch could only scowl. For that is why she was shocked to her core to see his face relax into a startled look when he spotted her name on the list.</p><p>     Filch grumpily dismissed them, and they sprinted to the fresh October air, the chilly breeze blowing lightly onto their faces. Once they were out of Filch's hearing range, Maya fell into fits of laughter.</p><p>     "His — expression — was — priceless!" said Maya between her giggles. "Never thought I'd get to see a surprised look on his face."</p><p>     Alexandra grinned at her friend. "Guess there's a first for everything."</p><p>     "But seriously," began Maya, wiping her tears of joy. "How come you've convinced Walburga to let you go to Hogsmeade?"</p><p>     "Well —"</p><p>     "Well, well, look who's here!" said a fraught voice. </p><p>     Alexandra let out an inaudible groan. To her sorrow, she recognised the owner of the voice quite well.</p><p>     "What do you want, Flint?" She turned towards Flint. He was standing with his equally annoying group of friends, a vicious smirk growing on his face.</p><p>     "Hello to you too, Alexandra," said Flint. "Just wondering why a Black hangs out with people like <em>her</em>."</p><p>     "What do you mean by people like me?" said Maya, slowly getting riled up by Flint. </p><p>     "Oh, you know, Half-bloods and Muggle-borns alike," said Flint causally. </p><p>      "So what if she's a Half-blood," Alexandra glowered at Flint. "She's still twice of a person you are."</p><p>     "Pity..." muttered Flint. He steered his attention to Maya's unruly hair. "Well, tell your Half-blood companion to give hair care potions a try. Does <em>miracles </em>on people like her."</p><p>     Maya's face fell instantly, and her gaze flickered to her hair. Flint and his friends' smirks broadened at the sight of Maya's gloomy face.</p><p>     The smirk on Flint's face made Alexandra's jaw clenched so tight that she found herself unable to utter the curse words sitting at the tip of her tongue. How could Flint make fun of Maya, who was nothing but kind to everyone around her? </p><p>     Flint flashed an amused look to Alexandra before departing, which caused hatred to thrum through her veins. In an instant, Alexandra's hand moved to her cloak, desperately searching for her wand.</p><p>     "Alexandra, don't," Maya grabbed her wand before she could hex Flint. "He's not worth it."</p><p>     "You're bloody right he's not," said Alexandra, shaking with fury. "But that wanker deserves to be put into his place."</p><p>     "Just let it go, Alexandra, for me." Maya sighed heavily. Alexandra saw the silvery tears piling in Maya's eyes, and something flicked within her. </p><p>     Alexandra Black was thoroughly blind with rage but decided not to speak about their less than pleasant encounter with Flint. Maya didn't object, and for the rest of the trip, the two girls remained deadly silent. </p><p>     "Would you mind if we... stopped at the hairdressing salon first?" asked Maya once they reached Hogsmeade.</p><p>     Alexandra's head snapped in her direction, whirling with guilt. It appeared that Flint's words had hit Maya harder than Alexandra had initially assumed. </p><p>     "Don't mind Flint, Maya," she said urgently. "He's a piece of arse who doesn't know what he's saying!"</p><p>     Maya shrugged. "But he <em>does </em>have a point — my hair's worse than a birdnest."</p><p>     Alexandra opened her mouth to object, but Maya shushed her. "Can we <em>please </em>go or not?"</p><p>     Reluctantly Alexandra nodded, and the two Gryffindors made their way to the hairdressing salon across the street of Honeydukes. </p><p>     Marcus Flint was a dead man walking.</p><p>     Much to Maya's frustration, the hairdressing salon had run out of hair care potions. When they left the salon empty-handed, Maya turned to Alexandra with a pleading look. </p><p>     "D'you have any hair ties with you?"</p><p>     "No, I'm sorry."</p><p>     Maya groaned and looked away, clearly irritated with the way things were turning out. </p><p>     "I know what would cheer you up!" Alexandra grabbed Maya's hand and dragged her to Honeydukes.</p><p>     "How will Honeydukes help my horrendous hair?" asked Maya gloomily.</p><p>     "Not your hair, no, but it surely will help your tummy! Free sweets, my treat!" replied Alexandra, trying to brighten up her friend.</p><p>     A small smile etched ever so lightly on Maya's face. They entered the shop, and the blissful scent of sweets immediately filled their senses.</p><p>     After Honeydukes, the two Gryffindors headed to Tomes and Scrolls, the shop they referred to as their sacred place. </p><p>     The book store itself wasn't too large, similar to most of the shops on Hogsmeade Village. Yet the shelves inside were piled with books to the roof, making almost anything accessible in the shop. </p><p>     Once they finally exited Tomes and Scrolls, they headed to the Three Broomsticks for mugs of hot butterbeer. </p><p>     "I'll get the drinks," said Maya and vanished within the crowd of students.</p><p>     Alexandra made her way to the back of the room, where stood a small table near the fireplace. She settled down and placed their bags to the spare chair. Five minutes later, Maya came back with two foaming mugs of hot butterbeer.</p><p>     The two girls didn't get much time for themselves as the door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, a sudden breeze filled the room, and a set of ginger twins beside a boy with black hair entered.</p><p>     George's eyes roamed around the room until he spotted Alexandra, and a broad grin grew on his face. He whispered something to Lee and Fred, in which Alexandra couldn't make it out, and they rushed towards them.</p><p>     "Brace yourself, Maya," Alexandra grinned at her friends perplexed expression. </p><p>     "Why —"</p><p>     "Hello, ladies," said George as he threw himself to the empty seat beside Alexandra. "Butterbeer, eh?"</p><p>     Fred and Lee dragged two more chairs to their table to sit. Then, Fred disappeared to get butterbeer. </p><p>     Lee turned to the fireplace to warm his hands. "It's bloody freezing out there. One would think we're in December."</p><p>     "Tell me about it," replied George. Then, he took out a box from his pocket and presented it to Alexandra with a smug grin. "Just got this firework from Zonko's. Fred and me —"</p><p>     "<em>Fred and I</em>." Alexandra corrected George.</p><p>     "Whatever," said George irritatedly. "As I was saying, we've gotten a brilliant idea to test with this firework."</p><p>     "Which is?"</p><p>     "You'll see, Miss Prefect," replied Fred, carrying mugs of butterbeer in hand. </p><p>     Once the sun began to set and replaced itself with the frosty wind of autumn, the Gryffindors decided to head back to Hogwarts castle.</p><p>     While walking to the stagecoaches, Alexandra noticed just how thin clothes George had on. </p><p>     Thinking that he must be freezing, she hurried beside the younger twin. "Aren't you cold? It's freezing out here!"</p><p>     "What, no! Quite the contrary, actually, I'm feeling rather warm." George had a solemn look on his face as he spoke, but it proved to be impossible to take him seriously with his pink cheeks and nose.</p><p>     Alexandra rolled her eyes at his childish attitude and removed her scarf to put it around George. He let out a surprised yelp as the raven-haired girl wrapped her red and gold scarf around him.</p><p>     George stared at her in an emotion Alexandra couldn't tell, then thanked her.</p><p>     "You're welcome, George. Though, next time, don't forget to bring your own."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Once again, the Great Hall was handsomely decorated for the Haloween feast when Alexandra entered. Hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins were floating, illuminating the hall, as a cloud of fluttering live bats and flaming orange streamers swam around.</p><p>     The food tasted delicious after the long day of wandering around the Hogsmeade Villiage. Even though most students were full of sweets from Honeydukes, none seemed to resist the urge to eat the food present on the tables.</p><p>     The feast ended with entertainment provided by the ghosts of Hogwarts. Much to Alexandra's dismay, Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor's ghost, performed a reenactment of his beheading.</p><p>     The evening had been so pleasant that neither Alexandra nor Maya seemed to remember Flint's insults from the morning.</p><p>     Maya flung her arm around Alexandra's shoulder as the two friends made their way up to the Gryffindor Tower, joking and laughing along the way.</p><p>     Their laughter died at the sight of the crowd heading to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Alexandra and Maya shared a worried glance before rushing towards the entrance of the Gryffindor Tower.</p><p>     Maya tiptoed to peer above the heads of the students to see what was happening.</p><p>     Soon, the rest of the fifth-years joined Maya and Alexandra on their quest to see what was going on.</p><p>     "Can't see a thing!" spoke Fred.</p><p>     "We're prefects, Black. Let's go and have a look," said Liam Bryne with the sudden remembrance of their position. </p><p>     Alexandra turned to the curly-haired boy beside her and nodded firmly. Pushing through students, they managed to make it through the crowd and to the portrait —</p><p>     Her hand flew to her mouth, and a shocked gasp escaped her lips when she saw the Fat Lady's portrait. </p><p>     The Fat Lady's painting had slashes so deep that strips of the canvas scattered on the floor. Alexandra could easily see behind the portrait as parts of it had gotten completely torn.</p><p>     Who was vile enough to this?</p><p>     "Let me through, please," came Percy's voice as he hustled through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me. I'm Head Boy —"</p><p>     Once Percy caught the sight of the now ruined portrait, he spoke with a sharp voice. "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."</p><p>     Then, Percy's head snapped at the startled prefects standing beside him. "What happened here?"</p><p>     "We don't know Percy — really, we don't," said Alexandra, trying to prevent her voice from trembling. "When we arrived, the portrait was already torn to pieces." </p><p>     Percy hummed thoughtfully. He was pulling a bravery act similar to Alexandra's, but she could see through him. He was just as terrified as she was, if not more.</p><p>     Not much later, Professor Dumbledore arrived and squeezed through the crowd to where the portrait was. He took a quick look at it and turned, his sombre eyes, to see Professor McGonagall, Lupin and Snape rushing toward him.</p><p>     "We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr Filch at once and tell him to search for every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."</p><p>     Alexandra's heart pounded achingly loud against her chest at Dumbledore's words. What if something happened to the Fat Lady? </p><p>     "You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.</p><p>     The owner of the voice was none other than Peeves, the mischievous poltergeist of Hogwarts. He looked delighted as he bobbled over the crowd.</p><p>     "What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves' grin faded a little. It appeared that he didn't dare to taunt Dumbledore, which certainly was a first. Instead, he used an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. </p><p>     "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She was a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," said Peeves happily. "Poor thing." </p><p>      "Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.</p><p>     "Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with an air of cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got furious when she wouldn't let him in, you see." </p><p>     Peeves flipped over and grinned at Alexandra from between his legs. "Quite a nasty temper your daddy has, am I wrong, itty bitty Black?"</p><p>     Alexandra's heart dropped like a stone. The students around her let out horrified gasps as they backed away from her. She couldn't blame them. Alexandra would've backed away from herself, too.</p><p>     Sirius Black was known to be the most heartless and vicious Death Eater within Voldemort's ranks. Merlin, what would he do if he came across Harry? <em>What if Sirius Black came across her?</em> Would he complete his unfinished job of murdering his own daughter?</p><p>     What if he harmed a student inside the castle? Alexandra would never forgive herself if anything such happened.</p><p>     Then, she remembered the Dementors outside of the castle. How did Sirius Black sneak past them? Then again, the man had eluded them before. It was no surprise that he did it once more.</p><p>     Professor Lupin appeared beside her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, shaking her away from her thoughts. He gave her a friendly smile, but Alexandra could easily see that it was not sincere and that the emotion laying behind it was doubt. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't really like how this chapter turned out but well, it's better than nothing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Rotten Black</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alexandra gets forced to face her father's actions consequences.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dumbledore gave the word for the Gryffindors to head back to the Great Hall, where soon the rest of the students would join them.</p><p>     "Will you accompany me down to Great Hall, Miss Black?" Professor Lupin spoke in a mild tone, contrary to what Alexandra expected.</p><p>     Why hadn't he yelled — or at least scolded her? Alexandra hadn't expected anything less, seeing as punishment had always been Walburga's all-time favourite method for discipline. The issue at hand seemed terribly like her doing, and it felt weird to avoid consequences.</p><p>     Her words failed to answer the professor, forcing her to give a faint nod at the man.</p><p>     By the time they left the corridor leading up to the Fat Lady's portrait, the rest of the Gryffindors were already gone to the Great Hall.</p><p>     Alexandra couldn't help but play the events of the past few hours in her head. From drinking butterbeer with her friends to the feast that ended not too long ago, her day had gone undeniably good. But now, it all felt like a distant memory fogged in time. </p><p>     The walk to the Great Hall was eerily calm, which Alexandra assumed, was the last peace she'd have before the inevitable changes. She knew that students were already sceptical about her presence in Hogwarts, knowing her relation with the notorious Sirius Black, and the attack must've doubled their mistrust.  </p><p>     Professor Lupin stopped her at the closed doors of the Great Hall. "Before you join your friends, know that my office's door is always open if you ever need to talk to someone. Oh, and," His hand reached up to his patched coat and took out a bar of chocolate. "Here."</p><p>     Alexandra glanced back and forth between the professor and the chocolate he held. </p><p>     "It'll help, trust me." </p><p>     Knowing well that she had a sweet spot for chocolate, Alexandra took it without giving it much of a thought. She gave her professor a faint smile before excepting her fate and entering the Great Hall.</p><p>     Remus watched her leave as he dreaded that her eyes had pierced through his soul, taking in each and every one of his unpleasant secrets. Even her slight demeanour reminded him of Sirius and how his stormy eyes used to study him to find what bothered Remus.</p><p>     Remus immediately scorned himself for thinking of Sirius. He despised himself for never truly hating him for what he did. How could he? </p><p>     Each time Remus passed by a motorcycle, he couldn't help but think of the bright smile used to form on Sirius' lips at the mention of them — or how thrilled he was the day he got his own. The dark clouds covering the sky in most days of Britain did nothing but mirror Sirius' eyes and the imminent storm of his temper. A piece of Remus, which he hoped was buried deep within, panicked while walking past a black dog, wondering whether it could be Sirius.</p><p>     Every little thing, every little detail was a cruel reminder of <em>him</em>, and no matter what Remus did, <em>Sirius wouldn't leave him.</em></p><p>     Or perhaps, Remus couldn't leave Sirius.</p><p>     But now, seeing the hurt Sirius caused to him, to Harry, and to Alexandra, Remus wasn't sure whether clinging onto an imaginary faith was worth it. But faith was what kept one sane, the one emotion that got the world turning, save it for fear.</p><p>     For Remus, Sirius was now all of them. His gospel and his dread. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>All attention shifted to Alexandra once she stepped inside, and instant murmurs began within the students</p><p>     <em>"Of course, only a prefect could sneak Black inside the castle! She's the perfect candidate!</em><em>"</em></p><p>     <em>"I thought she'd get expelled after what she did!"</em></p><p>     <em>"What d'you expect? She's a Black. Her blood's rotten from the start!"</em></p><p>     As Alexandra looked for her friends in the hall, students did their best to avoid eye contact with her, and those who did hold nothing less than pure disgust or hatred.</p><p>     Murmurs swam around the four Houses, slicing through the thick tension surrounding the Great Hall.</p><p>    Her heart was overwhelmed with guilt as whispers continued to swell her head like countless wasps bitting her. Alexandra didn't know how she managed to spot Maya and marched beside her with her low attention span, but there she was, leg bouncing up and down as she stood beside her friend.</p><p>     Nothing made sense for her. From the breakout to the break-in, nothing Sirius Black did seemed to make sense. It felt like his every move was cryptic, hiding a darker, wilder meaning behind.</p><p>     Alexandra hoped someone would crack it before he did something terrible. But at the same time, she was worried that the revelation would crush her. </p><p>     She'd never admit it out loud, but deep down, Alexandra desired nothing more than a proper family with proper morals and not an absent father with questionable virtue and an unknown mother. She felt selfish, almost childish, for yearning to have a decent father, criminal or not. </p><p>     Each time seeing all those children, her peers, with their perfect families, made Alexandra want to crumple to the ground and tear her hair out until she found a reasonable explanation as to why she was destined to have such a torn family.</p><p>     Her mind ran rampant as her head continued to process what had happened, almost seeking to discard the plain truth. </p><p>     There was no point in denying it now. Alexandra Black was just as much of a problem as her father was. </p><p>     She was sure that from now on, she'd make some students, if not all, uncomfortable. They would fear her. Well, not really her, but the blood running through her veins.  </p><p>     "Hey, hey, listen to me," Maya turned to her friend, a kind look on her face. "Don't mind what others say. Who cares what they think, right?"</p><p>     Maya's words made Alexandra frown harder, and Maya winced. "Look, I really suck at these moral boosting speeches."</p><p>     "That, I can see," Alexandra muttered.</p><p>     "Hey, I — ugh — what I'm trying to say is, if anyone annoys you, let me know. I've been dying to try the Bat-Bogey Hex on someone for a while now." Maya gave a small smile at her friend, yet her eyes were burning with a kind of passion Alexandra had never seen.</p><p>     George pushed students around as he tried to spot Alexandra, a concerned look on his face. He knew the moment the whispers got brasher was the moment she stepped inside the hall. </p><p>     Once he spotted Alexandra with Maya, her head on Maya's shoulder, he rushed towards them, Fred following behind.</p><p>     "Oh, for Merlin's sake, you're here!" said George breathlessly, which caused Alexandra to raise her head from Maya's shoulder. </p><p>     Fred appeared beside his twin. "We were worried that, er, <em>well </em>—" </p><p>     "That I got expelled?" Alexandra let out a humourless chuckle as the twins exchanged remorseful glances. She was glad that they were sincere, the least. </p><p>     "We know you would never do such a thing, Aly," said Fred bracingly. </p><p>     George backed up his brother's words with a nod. "But in all seriousness, how are you, love?"</p><p>     A bitter smile formed on her face as Walburga's words buzzed through her head; <em>Black's don't display emotions. </em>"I'm fine. Really." </p><p>     The lie slipped out of Alexandra's lips carelessly, and a foreign feeling of guilt nudged her rips at the thought of lying to her friends who were trying to be supportive. Still, it didn't indicate that they needed to know how she really felt.</p><p>     It appeared that Walburga's teachings had done its trick.</p><p>     "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall, and I'll be leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he told Percy, who puffed his chest in pride.</p><p>     George grabbed Alexandra's hand and began to rub soothing circles as the murmurs arose in.</p><p>     Professor Dumbledore paused as he was on his way to leave the hall. "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."</p><p>     With a casual wave of his wand, the long tables flew to the side of the hall. Another wave and the floor got flooded with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.</p><p>     "Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the Great Hall's door behind him.</p><p>     Once the old wizard left, the buzz within the hall immediately got louder. Occasional glances got exchanged at Alexandra, in which the judging stares made her feel timid.</p><p>     "Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy in an attempt to smother the noise forming inside the hall. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"</p><p>     Reluctantly, Alexandra left her friends' side to join the prefects on their duty to guard the doors.</p><p>     Once she joined the crowd surrounding Percy, the raged stares became harsher. That was until Liam appeared near her.</p><p>     "Fine evening, yeah?" Liam flashed her a grin. </p><p>     "Yeah. Terrific." Alexandra muttered under her breath. Yet, she was astounded that he had dared to approach her. </p><p>     Soon, Percy had assigned them to guard the main entrance to the hall alongside a few other fifth-years. As they stood across the doors, they couldn't help but start a short conversation.</p><p>     "D'you guys believe Black's in the castle?" whispered a Ravenclaw girl.</p><p>     "'course! Why else would Dumbledore gather the school here? He must have suspicions, at least," said a boy Alexandra recognised as Roger Davis.</p><p>     The Ravenclaw girl eyed Alexandra suspiciously until she caught her gaze. Alexandra felt her temper rising with each wary glance she received.</p><p>     "Just so you know, I have nothing to do with his entrance," Alexandra grunted as she caught more and more of their shameless stares. "What's next? Blaming his breakout on me?"</p><p>     The girl opened her mouth to interject but closed it right back, afraid of Alexandra's backlash as she began to glare at her. </p><p>     The prefects continued to patrol the doors for another hour until Professor McGonagall came into check and told them that they should go to sleep.</p><p>     No one bothered to reject the offer to rest, seeing as most were too exhausted to think.</p><p>     Before departing ways, "You know, I never believed it was you who got him in." Liam admitted.</p><p>     A small sign of hope blossomed inside Alexandra, yet it was too faint to have any effect whatsoever on her spirit. Nevertheless, having people believe in your innocence was a soothing feeling, almost pleasant, if she hadn't been so drained.</p><p>     "Goodnight, Black," Liam muttered. He looked like he was barely hanging onto consciousness, his every fibre aching to sleep. Alexandra wished it was the case for her, too. But as it appeared, rest wouldn't be so kind to her that night.</p><p>     "Goodnight, Bryne."</p><p>     Alexandra let out a weak sigh and headed towards the left out sleeping bags. She grabbed the first one she saw, not batting an eye to how it was, before dragging it to where Maya had saved her a place.</p><p>     Alexandra shut her eyes and turned to her side in hopes of gaining the sleep's mercy. But it was no use. Just like everyone else, Hypnos, the god of sleep, was playing against her. How could she expect a serene life when even the deity who granted slumber ignored her?</p><p>     Every time she shut her eyes, a crazed Sirius Black running in Hogwarts emerged inside her head, feeding her darkest fears. With each try, Sirius Black's grim features grew sharper in her head, forming the man on the Daily Prophet.</p><p>     First was his shaggy hair swaying behind as he ran. Then it was his malicious grin and sinister laugh. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't really like how this turned out either, but bear with me please lmao. I feared that if I hadn't finished this soon, I might not be able to leave it. </p><p>Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave kudos and comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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